I will always remember the summer of 1975! Upon graduation in May from Hardin-Simmons University with a BA in Sociology, I spent the next three months working in Albuquerque, NM. Sometime during the month of June, the movie Jaws was released and being a movie buff, I dutifully bought a ticket, settled in with popcorn and a soda, and proceeded to have the bejeebers scared out of me! I was so traumatized by the sight of the gigantic Great White, that during the night, I had a nightmare. I dreamed that the shark was coming after my legs intent on making a meal of me. I awoke screaming, curled into the tightest fetal position I could manage and pushing hard against the wall at the head of the bed to escape certain death! If you saw that movie when it first came out, you might understand my terror! You might also remember a monologue from the movie by Captain Quint about being on the USS Indianapolis when it was sunk — a few historical errors in the writing — but painfully accurate regarding the core information.
Now, go back about ten or so years to the fall of 1965 — the time a hero entered my life — a hero that I did not recognize as such until many years after the 1975 Jaws movie. That fall a quiet and unassuming man entered our family when he and my aunt married. He was a hero — I didn’t get it then — but he was a hero and still is today. You see my uncle, Cleatus Lebow, was on the USS Indianapolis along with 1197 other sailors when on July 30, 1945, the ship was hit by two torpedoes from a Japanese sub, sinking in only 12 minutes! He was one of only 317 survivors — the other 880 men died either as the ship went down or in the water after it sank in shark infested waters. The sinking of the USS Indianapolis is arguably the worst Naval sea disaster ever!
Part of the story that makes all of the men on the Indianapolis heroes is the nature of the mission that took them to Tinian Island — they carried and delivered key components of the Little Boy atomic bomb that was ultimately partially responsible for bringing WWII to an end. But that is only part of the reason they are heroes! Most of the men on that ship were mere boys ages 17 – 21. One estimate puts the median age of the sailors at about 19 years of age! Once you read their stories, you will see why they are heroes! Many television specials have been produced over the years about the Indianapolis and numerous books have been written as well. One book that I recommend you get and read is entitled, Only 317 Survived! It is a book that is written by the survivors themselves — personal stories from those left in the water for almost five days! If you read the book, please pay attention to the story of Survivor Lebow on pages 270 – 274 — my uncle.
As interesting and inspiring as the books are about this event in history, nothing can be as interesting and inspiring as meeting these men in person — shaking their hands, looking into their eyes and saying "thank you" for their service and sacrifice. I had that chance last weekend when I was fortunate enough to attend the 48th USS Indianapolis Survivors Reunion in Indianapolis, IN — and I will never be the same; ever!
As part of this year’s reunion activities, I was invited to address the survivors, their families and dedicated supporters of this distinguished group of war heroes! To say the least, I was excited beyond expression! Several months ago, my uncle asked me to adapt a presentation I have done before — entitled "Believe in the Journey" — for this audience. I went to work immediately to do so.
I introduced the presentation by playing the video of the Brooks and Dunn song, "Believe" and then followed it by tying into the themes expressed by the song. I would like to share with you the essence of that presentation.
Following the song, I told them that the relationship between Old Man Wrigley and the boy served as the framework of the presentation in that it focused on living the "bigger picture;" the power of connections and relationships; and the creation of life legacies through the tapping of personal resiliencies. The remainder went something like this —
When we "Believe in the Journey" we:
- Believe in the Journey of Life Itself — A journey in which the pursuit of Meaning and Purpose is paramount. A belief that there is purpose in our existence that can be discovered only as we pursue beliefs in that which is bigger than we.
- Believe in the Journey of Others — We need one another! No man is an island! We depend on the power of relationships and connectedness! Without connections and relationships life teeters on the meaningless!
- Believe in our Own Personal Journey — We work to develop our personal potential by discovering and tapping our personal strengths and resiliencies. In so doing, we create meaning and build lasting legacies for others to follow.
In reflecting on how these dear men have lived out these beliefs in life, I discovered that they have created five legacies of living that might serve to encourage us to live more completely. The legacies they leave for us are:
- Healthy Mourning — At an almost unconscious level, these men are living examples of healthy mourning. If grief can be defined as the complete constellation of mental, emotional, physical and spiritual experiences of pain, loneliness, sadness, anger, disbelief, longing, etc. — then mourning can be defined as the externalizing of those largely internal experiences in order to make meaning out of the madness. From the beginning, these men talked about their experiences and have not stopped in 63 years! Through their rituals, their reunions, their tears (and those tears flow easily, readily and unashamedly), their story telling, their writing, their pictures, their memorials and expressions of hope and faith, they set an example for all of us! Every individual; every family; every corporate body; every nation can learn from this legacy!
- Honor — Honor is often thrown around without thought of the true significance it carries. Essentially, honor both Announces the honorable fulfillment of a duty and Attracts others to its power! I have been and continue to be amazed by the stories these men tell about total strangers extending honor to them through countless gestures of kindness, beneficence and homage. I saw it with my own eyes — people coming to the booth and literally falling silent with reverence as they extended their hand and verbally expressed their "thanks" for the service these men have given to the world. I could write a whole book on this aspect alone. How powerful to live in that kind of honor!
- Healing — Their lives remind us that healing is a process and not an event. They remind us that when a "mean time" comes along and wounds us in some way, it begins the process of healing. This process demands that we move progressively from open wound to totally healed scar. I have no doubt that each one of us could likely account for each scar we have on our bodies — what happened; when; where; what we were doing; perhaps even other people who were there. The scars serve to remind us that we can heal from hurts and yet maintain a connection with the event that created the need for healing. These men carry this out marvelously!
- Heroism — In a day and age where the word "hero" is thrown around carelessly, these men have defined heroism in terms of action and not accumulation! They remind us that true heroes are those who act heroically in the face of difficulties and not those who merely accumulate wealth, publicity, fame, notoriety or recognition. They remind us that true heroes deflect the praise and honor toward others if at all possible (being called heroes creates a discomfort in these men that is palpable). They remind us that true heroes humbly fulfill a task in the face of exceedingly daunting obstacles.
- Hope — These precious men have demonstrated that light exists even in the darkest of times. They have shown us that holding on pays off! They have demonstrated over and again that Perseverance Perpetuates Passion for Positive Living!
I have no doubt that these legacies will follow them well beyond the day that the last survivor pierces the veil between the temporal and eternal! They are true heroes! We need to learn from them!
As a side note, I encourage you to read the book Only 317 Survived. I have posted a link to Amazon where you can purchase the book. I also invite you to visit a website that pays tribute to the Veterans of WWII. It is www.beforeyougo.us
You will be glad you did!
Peace!
Mark
Copyright 2008 Mark E. Hundley
P.S. ~ I videoed my presentation and am in the process of editing it for production. I have already said that only about 70 of the original 317 are still alive — many of those remaining survivors unable to attend due to health problems. I have opened my "Tip Jar" on this site to those interested in helping me take the rough video to completed form so that each survivor and his family can receive a copy. If you are interested in participating, please visit the tip jar on this site indicated as "Survivors Video Project." The estimated cost of this project is $1,000. I would be honored if you would consider participating. Thank you!
