World Can’t Wait Rally

A little talk I gave on Oct. 5th at the World Can't Wait rally in Honolulu's Thomas Square.

AI Generated Transcript

our next speaker is uh lucky Loui lucky is a six-year active duty Army vet I served with lucky Rock he's got some great things to say yeah um I only prepared something cuz when I start talking I don't know what I'm saying I'll just go off and forget what I I was talking about so excuse the the formality um but I have to open with a little bit of a disclaimer since I'm still in the Army um I should inform you all that I'm still an active duty Soldier nothing that I will share with you today should be taken as a views of the 25th Infantry Division the US Army or any other branch of the Armed Forces the views I hope to share with you today are my own and do not reflect the official stance of any organization or entity other than myself I'm speaking today because I cannot remain quiet about what my conscience has called me to and it should be remembered with much gra gratitude that we live in a country that allows us not only to hold these beliefs but to share them with each other in an open peaceful manner so as as as much as we definitely disagree with the policies that are in in place today I am thankful that that we can come together like this without being harassed as as people in other countries are um real briefly um I put in my application to be conscientious obor back in June on the 5th um I saw status as a non-combatant because I was trying to go back to war without a weapon I felt that would be a uh an extremely powerful witness I'm a Christian and I I think that would be a great way way to show other people who are still in the military how Christians can be uh compassionate and sympathetic with people who may not be practicing or believe what what they believe um the My God Is So enormous and large and loving that he doesn't just Bless America He blesses the whole world um and

when when I realized that I I couldn't I couldn't just for me I couldn't ask for discharge because I felt that I could have a place in the military um at least until I was until my contact was up unfortunately um my unit didn't like that story they told me I was trying to get out of a deployment um but in order I I still hope to go back um at least the Middle East I'll be going to Israel uh November 19th with with a Christian Peacemaker teams um I'm hoping if uh things go well I'll be going with them and uh I'll be able to see what it's like to be in the Middle East and be constantly uh exposed to that that strife and conflict that's been around for for centuries um but here's what what I have written that being said I have a confession I'm I'm a coward it's true I Came Upon This realization last June when I was in Washington DC lobbying my Senators to incorporate plans into their political agendas for the abolition of poverty and international violence I was sitting in the nationville city Christian church when I was struck by my cowardliness you see two weeks prior I submitted my request for status as a non-combatant conscience objective it had been received without much contempt or scorn that would come later anyway in the church as I had this Epiphany I scribbled down the letters c o w a r d in the Army we have a lot of acronyms which is probably why I instinctively wrote it vertically um beside each individual letter I started a new word from coward I slowly produced conscientious objector willfully against rendering death [Applause] I'm you say you're a coward but what did I hear before meek shall inherit the earth amen um I'm not a pacifist because I I don't think passivity is my calling I don't think that sitting and enjoying peace is enough for me uh I call myself a crucifix I believe that that peace takes a sacrifice that peace takes some kind of action or or commitment on the part of the people who want peace in my application I sought to return to Iraq without a weapon so I could do exactly what I'm doing right now providing a strong witness for peace based on my deep love for Jesus Christ who died so That Others May Live I only found Jesus a few months ago he was on the bus with my infantry company when we were on the way to H&L to fly to California for a training event on April 20th he wrecked my life in the most amazing unimaginable way every waking moment since that day has been professionally spiritually emotionally and physically demanding but I wouldn't trade it for anything the Bible has taught me awesome things about peace that have impacted me to the core of my being I've also learned much about war and everything that it brings Joshua and I deployed uh January 2004 to February 2005 to Iraq um I reconnected with him by chance when he answered uh the GI rights hotline back in uh late May when I I called them up and sought more information on coo status uh we both experienced firstand uh what war does to innocent families in their very livelihood War morally destroys the aggressor as it physically destroys the victims I believe global war is never justifiable from a religious standpoint morally and ethically it fails as well in no historical instance Has It produced the ends It ultimately sought to achieve I worry that our current foreign policy is is counterproductive to Global peacemaking I fear our we our I fear our weakness is in not admedia our own National responsibility for the events that began unfolding when zealous misled spiritually and ethnically offended extremists began their campaign against the West world with the USS Cole and Embassy bombings in Africa from a historical perspective did we ever ask ourselves what we as an international presence effectively did to inspire such hatred and fanaticism what did we as a nation do to correct these misconceptions before we decided to go to all out war on a single suspiciously ambiguous word we cannot change the past but we can begin to take action to change our current course allow me to reveal part of my plan to affect National change to Walter world history humble fervent prayer coupled with the willingness to act on my convictions I firmly believe that prayer destroys enemies and demolishes hatred it reminds us of our shared humanity and dependence on both the Creator and each other it is a gentle reminder of the power of love to drive out fear which is at the root of all war when I came to fully trust in Jesus I was able to see terrorists as confused deceived hurting human beings that they were I want to close with a quote from a monk who lived during the Cold War and nuclear arms race and who knew uh much about what inspires War his name is Thomas Merton um I had to edit it slightly to apply to the current situation and this's what he said it's kind of long quote but I really like it he said if we can trust and love God who Infinite who is infinitely wise and who rules the lives of men permitting them to use their freedom even to the point of almost incredible abuse we can love men who are evil we can learn to love them even in their sin as God loved them and if we love the men we cannot trust and if we can to some extent share the burden of their sin by identifying ourselves with them then perhaps there is some hope of a kind of peace on Earth based not on the wisdoms and manipulations of men but on the in inscrutable mercy of God for only love which means humility can exercise the fear which is at the root of all war when I pray for peace I pray not only for the terrorists but above all my own nation and myself when I pray for peace I pray to be protected not only from the terrorists but also from the Folly and blindness of my own country when I pray for peace peace I pray not only that the enemies of my country May cease to want war but above all that but above all that my own country will cease to do things that make war inevitable in other words when I pray for PE peace I'm not just praying that the terrorists will give up without a struggle and let us have our own way I'm praying that both we and the terrorists May somehow be restored to sanity and learn how to work out our problems as best we can together instead of preparing for Global suicide to some men peace means the Liberty to exploit other people without fear of retaliation or interference to others peace means the freedom to Rob brothers without interruption to still others it means the Leisure to Devour the goods of the earth without being compelled to interrupt their pleasure to feed Those whom their greed is starving and to practically everybody to practically everybody peace simply means the absence of any physical violence that might cast a shadow over lives devoted to their satisfaction of their animal appetites for comfort and peace many men like these have asked God what for what they thought was peace and wondered why their prayer was not answered I applaud everyone here who had the courage to get off their couches and contribute in their own individual way to the pursuit of peace I hope I have inspired some of you to introspection in contemplation if you'd like to learn with me what it means to wage peace I'll make myself available uh to anyone who feels compelled with to explore biblical and practical peace a little further for anyone who would like to pray with me for peace please find me after to the conclusion of the event or I can share my contact information for anyone who would like to hear about my story thanks

thank you so much thank

you thank you to irck Veterans again