Evening star., 1945-04-04
Letters to The Star
Chaplain's Address Tells Of Unity
And Fellowship on Two Jima

Relatives and friends Of members Of
the 5th Marine Division who fought on
Two Jima, ! believe, will be interested
in the memorial address OF Chaplain
Roland B. Gittelsohn at the Division
Cemetery on that hard-won island. The
text was sent to me by Corpl. Charles H.
Westfall. and forward 1t to you here
with. MISS HYAC1NTHE GIBBONS.
The memorial address of Chaplain
Gittelsohn reads as follows:
This Is perhaps the grimmest, and
surely the holiest task we have faced
since D day. Here before US lie the
bodies Of comrades and friends. Men
who until yesterday or last week laughed
with US, joked with US, trained with us.
Men who were on the same ships with
us, and went over the sides with us as
we prepared to hit the beaches Of this
island. Men who fought with us and
feared with u.s. Somewhere in this plot
Of ground there may lie the man who
could have discovered the cure for can
Ger. Under one of these Christian
crosses, or beneath q Jewish Star of
David, there may rest now man who
was destined to be great prophetic
find the way, perhaps, for all to live in
plenty, with poverty and hardship for
none. Now they lie here silently in this
sacred soil, and we gather to conse-
crate this earth in their memory.
1T Is not easy to do so. Some Of US
have buried our closest friends here.
We saw these men killed before our
very eyes. Any one of us might have
died In their places. Indeed, some OF
us are alive and breathing at this very
moment only because men who Lie
here beneath us had the courage and
strength 10 give their lives for ours. To
speak in memory Of such men as these
is not easy. OF them, too, can 1t be
said with utter truth: The world will
little note nor long remember what we
say here. 1t can never forget what they
did here
mo. our poor power Of speech can
add nothing to what these men and
the other dead Of our division who are
not here have already done. All that
we even hope to do is follow their ex-
ample. To show the same selfiess courage
in peace that they did in war. To swear
that by the grace of God and the
stubborn strength and power of human
will, their sons and ours shall never
suffer these pains again. These men
have done their job we'll. They have
paid the ghastly price of freedom. II
that freedom be once again lost, As 1t
was after the last war, the unforsivable
blame will be ours, not theirs. So 1t is
we, the living, who are here to be dedi-
Gated and consecrated.
We dedicate ourselves, first. to live
together in peace the way they fought
and are buried In this war. Here lie
men who loved America because their
ancestors generations ago helped In her
founding and other men who loved her
with equal passion because they them
selves or their own fathers escaped
from oppression to her blessed shores.
Here lie ofdcers and men, Negroes ana
whites. rich men and poor-tosether
Here are Protestants, Catholics and
Jews-together. Here no man prefers
another because Of his faith or despises
him because Of his color. Here there
are no quotas Of how many from each
group are admitted or allowed. Among
these men there Is no discrimination.
no prejudice. no hatred. Theirs IL the
highest and purest democracy.
Any man among US, the living, who
fails to understand that will thereby be-
tray those who lie here dead. Whoever
OF US lifts his hand in hate against 4
brother. or thinks himself superior to
those who happen to be in the minority.
makes Of this ceremony and Of the
bloody sacrifice 1t commentaries An
empty. hollow mockery. Thus, then as
our solemn, sacred duty, DO We the liv.
ing now dedicate ourselves-to the right
Of Protsstants. Catholics and Jews, Of
white men and Negroes alike, to enjoy
the democracy for which all Of them
have here paid the price.
TO one thing more do we consecrate
ourselves in memory OF those who deep
beneath these crosses and stars. We
shall not foolishly suppose. a. did the
last generation of Americas lighting
men, that victory on the battlefield
will automatically guarantee the tri-
umph Of democracy at home. This
war, with all It's frightful heartache and
suffering, is but the beginning Of our
generations struggle for democracy.
When the last battle has been won,
there will be those at home, as there
were last time, who will want US to
turn our backs In selfish isolation on
the rest OF organized humanity and thus
to sabotage the very peace for which
we fight. We promise you who lie here:
We will not do that! We will join hands
with Britain, China, Russia In peace,
even as we have in war, to build the
kind OF world for which you died.
when the last shot has been fired,
there will still be those whose eyes are
turned backward. not forward. who will
be satisfied with those wide extremes
Of poverty and wealth in which the
seeds Of another war can breed. We
promise you, our departed comrades:
This too We will not permit. This war
has been fought by the common man;
its fruits Of peace must be enjoyed by
the common man! We promise, by all
that is sacred and holy, that your sons
the sons Of miners ana millers, the sons
of farmers and workers, will inherit
from your death the right to q LIVING
that Is decent and secure.
When the final cross has been placed
IN the last cemetery, once again there