The Thirteenth Hand at Iwo Jima

O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you? You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them. You crushed Rahab like a carcass; you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them. The north and the south, you have created them; Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name. You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted. (Psalm 89:8-16 ESV).

The Marine Corps War Memorial, more commonly known as the Iwo Jima Memorial, is perhaps one of the most moving memorials in Washing D.C. The world-famous statue, which is based on the iconic photograph taken by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal, depicts the six soldiers who raised the second American flag at Iwo Jima in the Japanese Volcano Islands on February 23, 1945, signifying the conclusion of the American campaign in the Pacific during World War II. The memorial is dedicated to “the Marine dead of all wars and their comrades of other services who fell fighting beside them.” The memorial was dedicated on November 10, 1954 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the American flag has flown from the statue 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by presidential proclamation ever since. An urban legend has it that the statue includes not 12 hands but 13, which is a count impossible to verify by sight, since so many hands are jammed together. One myth about the 13th hand, Mr. Miller says, is that sculptor de Weldon added an extremity as the "hand of God raising the flag." I have been to the memorial and looked at it from various angles. It is hard to say whether there are 13 hands on the memorial or not. The sculptor denies he added a thirteenth hand saying, “Twelve hands were enough.” Whether it is no more than myth or not, there cannot be a denial as to the strength of God’s hand available to all of those who are his children. Our reading today is clear about that. I find it very comforting knowing that the Lord will offer me his hand. It is a comfort in times of difficulty; it is added strength in times of weakness; it support when I need his protection. I cannot imagine not holding my children’s hands when they were young for those very reasons. So, my heavenly Father holds ours each day as we walk our path on this earth.