Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of England at the time. This short, pudgy, cigar smoking upstart, made a lot of noise in politics, but his words often dripped with optimism. His choice of words would stir a nation to rescue the trapped troops remaining at Dunkirk. If ever a country rallied, the evacuation of Dunkirk is proof of it.

A few years ago, Paul and I went to see the movie, “Dunkirk.” As a work of profoundly crafted art, it is indeed a masterpiece. I’m not crazy about war movies and I have a fear of dying in the ocean so this movie wasn’t on my top ten list of must sees, but the determination of the British army in evacuating the beach at Dunkirk was awe inspiring. An amazing musical score used instruments to intensify the action. The sounds of the stringed instruments played as the planes whirred and sputtered, The growing heartbeat of percussion pounding as emotion and panic lit up the screen. The use of the brass section and the pounding of drums increased the drama as bombs fell and bullets pierced the air.

I don’t recall learning much about the evacuation in my history classes, but this was an event which showed the determination, not only of the airmen, the nurses, the infantry and navy, but also the civilians who came to their rescue, when it seemed they would never escape. Forced to the sea, with no real chance of escape, these young men and women were sitting ducks. The movie uses very little dialogue, but the acting skills are enough to carry the story. I cannot imagine the fear that must rage in the mind of any soldier when faced with imminent death.

On the opposing side, which is not really referenced in the movie, the Germans decided to pull back from the beaches of Dunkirk, because they felt they could wipe out the allied troops with their superior air force. They weren’t counting on a mass evacuation causing a stronger ground army as the troops returned to battle. The addition of the American troops also helped to defeat Hitler and his tirade against the world.

War is ugly. No matter how it’s memorialized. We have cemeteries to honor the dead. There are many memorials to call attention to those wars. There are the broken hearts of loved ones as they grieve over their lost. Nothing can replace a life. Nothing can immortalize the great deeds they’ve accomplished or the horrors they endured for the benefit of serving their nation.

THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR ANOTHER DAY AND FOR WATCHING OVER OUR NATION AND THOSE WHO SERVE. REMIND US THAT WE CAN REMAIN OPTIMISTIC AS LONG AS YOU ARE IN CONTROL.