Bill Thompson – Chaplin
I am writing this article on Sunday, September, 21. Since 1981 the United Nations designated a day to be celebrated world wide as an International Day of Peace. In 2001 the day to be celebrated was changed to September 21, and it is a day dedicated to working toward world peace for all people. The symbol for this celebration is suggested to be a peace dove flying with an olive branch in its beak. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam a white dove is generally a sign for peace. I have seen nothing in the news today related to such a celebration.
Jumping to October, the month before us, we will celebrate the birthday of the U. S. Navy on October 13. It is a day when we commemorate and give thanks for the sacrifice and service of the men and women in uniform in the U. S. Navy. As someone has said, “Today, the Navy continues to be a force for good, advancing and securing interests of grateful nation and its allies around the world.” My prayer is that the Navy will continue to be a force for peace and wellbeing, for this nation and others, throughout the world. An International Day of Peace? Yes, a worthy goal for each of us, a hope we must not abandon.
