306th HQ Intelligence Detachment, XXIV Corps, Leyte, Philippines, November 1, 1944. Front row, l to r: George Shimotori, Saburo Okamura, Thomas Sasaki, Francis Yamamoto Herbert Nishihara, Warren Tsuneishi. Back row, l to r: Hiroshi Itow, Joe Nishihara, Lt. Richard Kleeman, TSgt George Takabayashi, Lloyd Shimasato.
(Signal Corps photo)

When the first graduates were sent to the Pacific and landed in Australia, they were part of the Americal troops. Many were sent to help with the fighting on Iwo Jima, which MacArthur felt was taking far too long to complete. Some stayed and worked with the Australian troops and others went to British or Canadian units. (Canada also had their own S-20 Japanese Language School in Vancouver, British Columbia to train interpreters.) Only the U.S. Navy rejected the linguists. Admiral Halsey did in fact understand their importance and requested some MIS’ers for his fleet, but as a whole, Nimitz and the…

In Memoriam …

I step back from the light
into the dark.

On the beach

I want to fly but fall like

a silent prayer.

My limbs are an anchor

as I slip beneath the surface.

Once grasping palms lie flat

as gentle waves rock me.

Seaweed strands of hair mingle

with the sigh of my breath.

I grasp the hands of my

companions,

my only thing of value.

Everything beautiful is here,

all that was lost.

Birds chorus to the stones that

mark the resting place of a

thousand warriors in an

estuary of flowers.

art by Abel Tasman

You complete me Lord,
You make my life whole
You protect and keep me
preserve my very soul.

You fill me with Your love,
equip me each new day
You give me the power
to stay on the narrow way.

You complete me Lord,
You make my life anew
You give me Your peace
and my mind You renew.

You fill me with mercy,
cover me in Your grace
You are the future hope
my heart can embrace.

You complete me Lord,
You make my heart sing
You provide me comfort
under Your mighty wing.

You fill me with joy,
my life You make complete
tis why I trust in You . . .
with my every heartbeat!

~~~~~~~~

Colossians 2:10

“And ye are complete in him,
which is the head of all
principality and power:”

King James Version
by Public Domain

Copyright 2023
Deborah Ann Belka

~ to GOD

Have you met my Rock,
have you viewed life from the top
have you seen the beauty
from up here on my Rock?

Have you reached my Rock,
have you ascended to the summit
have you felt the power
from up here on my Rock?

Have you scaled my Rock,
have you soared up to its height
have you sensed the love
from up here on my Rock?

Have you discovered my Rock,
have you found to Him the way
have you perceived the peace
from up here on my Rock?

Have you gone to my Rock,
have you asked Him for forgiveness
have you made the one time climb . . .
to meet Jesus this Rock of mine?

~~~~~~~~

Psalm 62:6

“He only is my rock
and my salvation:
He is my defence;
I shall not be moved.”

King James Version
Public Domain

Copyright 2023
Deborah Ann Belka

Lord, may I never forget,
the favors You’ve granted me
or how You made a path
across my very own Red Sea.

May my love for You,
keep me humble all my days
may I remember to follow
and to walk in all Your ways.

Lord, may I never complain,
nor forget Your mighty deeds
may I always remember
it’s You who supplies my needs.

May my praise rise each day,
and lay upon my lips at night
may I not forget Your counsel
nor the pillars of Your saving light.

Lord, may I never forget . . .
the wondrous works of Your hand
nor how You made for me a path
leading to the promised land!

~~~~~~~~~~

Psalm 106:13-14

“They soon forgat his works;
they waited not for his counsel:
But lusted exceedingly in the
wilderness, and tempted God
in the desert.”

King James Version
Public Domain

If the storm clouds gather,

Know they will soon pass,

Clear sky will appear,

Nothing bad shall ever last.

When the winds of adversity,
throw you off course . . .
there’s an Anchor that holds
no matter their force.

When the seas of calamity,
toss you all about . . .
there’s an Anchor that holds
till their strength runs out.

When the storms of life,
start blowing your way . . .
there’s an Anchor that holds
to keep you above the fray.

When the hazards of living,
come straight at you . . .
there’s an Anchor that holds
to help you make it through.

The only Anchor that holds,
is strong, sturdy and sure
Jesus is that Anchor . . .
keeping you safe and secure!

~~~~~~~~

Hebrews 6:19

“Which hope we have
as an anchor of the soul,
both sure and stedfast;”

King James Version
by Public Domain

Copyright 2023
Deborah Ann Belka

~ to GOD be the GLORY ~