As many thousands of GIs learned at that time--post D-Day--their being in Europe, in England, didn't mean immediate dispatch to the front. Thousands of Yankees waited for dispatch in England, and waiting, vets used to say, is maybe the worst part of serving in the military.
Waiting affords Chaplain Van the time to look around England a bit, visiting castles and noting, when he can, the look of this season's crops: "Every inch of soil is cultivated and the crops look good."
He reads the visitor's book in St. George Church at Whittingham, where strangely enough--and encouragingly, I'm guessing--he notes the name of someone from DeMotte, Indiana, where he preached before signing up for the chaplaincy, who happened to visit and sign the guest book.
When the Saturnalia slipped into the harbor at Liverpool, they crossed paths with ships filled with women and children. He knows that England instituted significant programs to move non-combatants (women and children) out of the cities being pummeled by the Luftwaffe and into safer areas of the country: "Several sips filled with women and children passed by and waved frantically. Most likely they were being moved to a safer place."
"Frantically" is an interesting adverb here. What the chaplain most likely notes is something far more than friendliness. Those passengers on the safety ships can't help but feel fear simply in being moved away from home and family, even though the purpose of their being moved is to keep them out of immediate danger--when they wave at the yanks being brought in, they do so "frantically."
August 6, Sunday
The ship chaplain, Rev. Huff, preached on "My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth." Christ gained peace for His people through suffering. His whole life was a life of suffering; yet he had the greatest peace in his heart.
Hitler is trying to get peace for the German people through war. It is resulting in the death of millions and the destruction of many cities. The ship's chaplain wished all the soldiers the peace of God, as they will soon part and receive different assignments in the theater of war. A tremendous number of soldiers attended this service. . . .
The American Army has made tremendous gains. It has cut off the Brittany Peninsula and captured Brest. The Russians are in East Prussia. We will leave the ship tomorrow at 7:15 a.m.
It's important, historically, to remember that the whole idea of the U.S. going to war in Europe was out of the question for millions of American people, who distrusted FDR to begin with and would not forget the horror of WWI. "The American Army has made tremendous gains," is an argument in that discussion. Chaplain Van may well be speaking to a notion in his own mind, that all of this he's gone through really is worth it, despite the fact that the U. S. if so very distant from yet another war in Europe.
Another presidential election will soon be held in the United States. It will be between President Roosevelt and Mr. Dewey, the Governor of New York. Dewey opposes Lend Lease, Selective Service, the destroyer swap with England, and the the United States alliance with Russia.
That he doesn't give equal space to Roosevelt's war platform suggests (I can't be sure) that Chaplain Van's own politics were decidedly Republican. Among most members of the Christian Reformed Church, especially in rural areas like DeMotte, political affiliation was decidedly Republican.
"The destroyer swap with England" refers specifically to a move on the part of Roosevelt back in 194o, offering England aging ships in exchange for access to and control of some Brit foreign service bases. England got an addition to their own navy (protection from German aggression in blockades), while the U. S. found itself owning bases in far away areas.
Hard as it may seem to imagine, "the destroyer swap" was no slam dunk. Conservatives, back home, correctly argued that "the destroyer swap" only served to drag the nation into yet another world war. It did. "When Chaplain Van says "the American Army has made tremendous gains," he's speaking to what is likely the Republican soul within him.
The case for the U.S. joining the war effort was moot once Hitler sent his troops into Poland. The war in Europe had become a world war.
2 comments:
Having read some of the WW2 bio you’ve shared of Capt.Van along with, at times, incisive commentary, I find myself (generally) less inclined to criticize his personality, moribund conservative views, and less than aesthetic qualities.
Some things to consider: First, Capt. Van was a theologian, not an aesthete, and thus rarely do we get a glimpse of what he felt. Rather his writing tended toward the objective and factual. Sadly, this is often the result of a pastor’s theological training as in conservative circles seminarians are often told theology is a science, and their progress in seminary is often evaluated, almost solely, on the basis of their academic performance.
Second, who knows how Capt. Van’s personality was formed in his childhood and ecclesiastical upbringing (afscheiding?).
Third, Capt. Van does show glimpses of greater theological latitude due to his exposure to chaplains and preaching outside his bubble, and in this case amidst the cauldron of war. He did seem to be shaped by his experiences which reveal palpable growth (PTL!).
Finally, some of his conservative theological bent, I surmise, were due to his historical context. Theologically, he grew up and was trained during a time when modernism made serious inroads into mainline churches (although not in the CRC). Truth, the veracity of the Bible, and antithetical living was paramount to stem the modernistic tide - thus, his accolades for chaplains who preached the gospel and his sensitivity to soldiers’ self-inflicted moral wounds.
I’m sure there’s more that fed into who he was and his “deficiencies”. But who doesn’t have shortcomings in need of daily infusions of grace?
I’m not sure how many more episodes from Capt Van’s life you intend to share … but keep on sharing! 😊
Thanks for the insightful comments. Your thoughtful responses make it even easier to continue with maybe a dozen more. I'm just thrilled that some readers are appreciating my rendering of the tales he himself told in the diaries.
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