Above and Beyond

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Imagine, if you will, that it is three years after a major war, a world war which engulfed most of the planet, a war in which millions died. Now imagine that you are a pilot, one who served during that massive conflict and who survived. You have returned to the land of your birth, let's say the United States, and now in another small land, another war is about to begin. Somehow, you are drawn to that struggle.

Why, someone might ask, why do you feel the need to go off to another war? Let's put things in perspective, the year is 1948, the small land about to be engulfed in war is the state of Israel. Why would you go? Not a simple question, but what if you are Jewish?

In 1948, the ashes of Hitler's Germany have barely cooled. The death camps are still there, no longer do the long trains bring their innocent cargo but the memory is there. It is fresh and the rage and the pain are very real. Now another group of idiotic fanatics wish to wipe the Jewish people from the Earth. Their goal then (as it is now) is to wipe Israel from the map, their goal is to destroy every vestige of Judaism from their midst.

Faced with that, would you go?

Many American Jews did go, one of the more famous was Colonel Mickey Marcus, portrayed by Kirk Douglas in the movie Cast A Giant Shadow.

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Now some months ago I saw a trailer for a yet to be released movie, Above and Beyond, it had Messerschmidts, Spitfires and P-51s. What's not to like?

I finally had the chance to watch this film on Netflix, I was not disappointed. Anyone who knows fighter pilots would recognize many of the guys in this movie. Some were famous during World War II, many were just the guys who went and did their duty. The guys who don't win any fame, but they do win wars. More important than fame in my book.

I highly recommend this film. Perhaps there's a lesson (or two) in there for our own times. I don't know. Bravery is bravery and the Jewish people have been demonstrating that bravery for a long, long time. This film is a tribute to those who stood for Israel when she needed them.

Across the ages, I salute them.