Good question ,,, sorry to say,, but I believe we have a good many here today that would welcome something like that. I think it's about time we unass them from our AO.
I reposted several posts about it on FB. I got likes from my vet buddies and spouses, I got zilch from the younger generation. Hell. They don't even remember 9/11.
I don't blame the younger generation for not remembering, but rather the educators. A few years back I saw a U.S. girls sports team get in trouble for saying, "remember Pearl Harbor" when they were playing a Japanese team. The youth are being taught to forget history but instead dwell on every sin they did NOT commit.
Dec,7 1941 was 14 months before I was born. So I saw and knew a lot of the hardships people suffered. People are not the same as back then,they were hard working god fearing people not like the cry babies we have now. People worked for what they got,no gov freebies,went to church,raised good kids. My mother and father both worked at the paper mill until 1947 when my sister was born. In 1951 daddy bought 400 acres for $25,000 and paid $2000.00 yr when he was making only less than $3000.00 yr. So you see the people back then were not cry babies like now. We have always worked and paid our way. Just imagine what it would be like if Dec.7 1941 were to happen today. I believe hardships make the man. Please never forget Dec. 7 1941,your life depends on it.
My grandfather was drafted in the Navy and went to Pearl Harbor 2 years after the bombing and said there was still destruction everywhere. The country was too busy fighting a war to clean up. He passed away in April, but I never knew that he went to Pearl Harbor until two years ago. Both my grandfathers fought in WWII. Neither spoke much about it.
My father spend time in Bisbee Az, went to High School there. His best friend from HS (back when best friend meant something real to many people) Donald ( Donnie) - joined up, the Navy.. Donnie was very pleased to be stationed to his home states name-sake battleship. He, like almost everyone on the USS Arizona, died that day. I am named Donald (middle name from my Uncle, as I was born on this 30th birthday, as had he) in memory of my father's friend. . Growing up, the entire tribe would visit "Uncle" Dutch and "Aunt" Francis (Donnie's parents) who lived outside of Sierra Vista Az. I was like 10Y/O before the connection was fully explained to me. Donnie was an only child, just to make the situation that much sadder. So, yeah, Dec 7 has a bit more of an impact. It wasn't until the mid-70s that my father wouldn't curse out loud then something came up about Japan. However, he was careful to ensure we kiddos understood the the (really bad words here) Jap Government was responsible, not the Grunt or Squid out doing the dirty... As an adult, and having studied the history leading up to and also spending time in Japan- have a full understanding of the events. Thank Heavens the culture that fed that insanity was destroyed.
A bit of history: The Attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air ... Preliminary planning for an attack on Pearl Harbor to protect the move into the "Southern Resource Area" (the Japanese term for the Dutch ... The Japanese planners studied the 1940 British air attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto intensively. Battle of Taranto - Wikipedia The Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11–12 November 1940 during the Second World War between British naval forces, under Admiral Andrew Cunningham, and Italian naval forces, under Admiral Inigo Campioni. The Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history, employing 21 Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bombers from the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious in the Mediterranean Sea. The attack struck the battle fleet of the Regia Marina at anchor in the harbour of Taranto, using aerial torpedoes despite the shallowness of the water. The success of this attack augured the ascendancy of naval aviation over the big guns of battleships. According to Admiral Cunningham, "Taranto, and the night of 11–12 November 1940, should be remembered for ever as having shown once and for all that in the Fleet Air Arm the Navy has its most devastating weapon" The connection is rarely noted by either Hollywood, popular books and even by some 'serious' historical books of the period.
Both my Grandfather's served during WW-2, one was a Tanker, the other was a Shipwright rebuilding shot up warships enough to get them back into the fight! Both Grandmother's were part of the civil defense and were both trained spotters on the Oregon Coast looking for Jap ships, planes, or subs! Several uncle's were also drafted, some went to Europe most went to the Pacific. One special uncle was a Corpsmen, he saw almost every major battle in the pacific until he was wounded in the battle of Okinawa which ended his war! Some would share stories, but most never said a word about it, only that they did their part! My Dad's Brother served aboard the U.S.S. New Mexico for the entire war as a chief water tender, and died in 47 of Consumption ( Tuberculous) in Philadelphia. I grew up surrounded by WW-2 vets, all had what we now call PTSD, including my Grand Dad who would have these terrible night terrors and wake up screaming and fighting and thrashing about! We kids were warned to just leave him alone and never talk about it! We didn't quite understand, but did as we were told! In 2004 while home on leave, I got a chance to sit down with Grand Dad and we talked about war, the things we had seen and done, and it was then I finally understood why Grand Dad was the way he was, and in my own way, I understood why I am the way I am! Those things we carry inside us are horrible, but we bear them quietly hoping and praying that others never have to see and do the things we did!
My ship was moored directly across from the Pearl Harbor Arizona Memorial. I saw what remained of the destruction wrought by the attack on that dark day in December. That the youth of today doesn't remember, that people my age do not respect the loss of life in America's wars, that people cannot or do not want to reflect on the attacks of 9/11/2001 sickens me. The flag went up at 0700. I will never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice or those who perpetrated the need for those brave Americans to face death to protect this country and it's people. The oath I took, still binds me today, and I carry that responsibility proudly and with honor.
Until you visit the Arizona Memorial, no matter how much study of history and the people alive at that time you will NOT grasp the hallowedness of that place. Go. Impoverish yourself and kids, but go visit that place. It won't fill in for hitting the cemeteries in Europe or the various in Asia, but it WILL make a different impression altogether.
Grand-dad Maurice was at Pearl Harbor on this day in 1941 He however was not on-board any navel ships,He was the navigator on an ocean going supply vessel When the attack started and ships were being attacked with sailors hitting the oil soaked waters they launched the life boats and proceeded to haul in sailors. Saved many sailors that day,May they rest in peace.
Uncle was on the West Virginia when it sunk. Blown overboard and fished out of the water. When he came too 10 days later was identified and Gram got a telegram saying he was alive. Had been told earlier, missing and presumed dead. Got out of hospital and put on Saratoga until he got his back broken in an attack and then transferred to Bremerton Washington. In hind sight he too had PTSD but they didn't call it then. Died of cancer at age of 65. The ones I remember the most these days are those that did not come back. Even a 4 years old when you say good bye to someone and they don't come back, you remember. WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam, the middle east. Never forget that Freedom is not free and the idiots that riot today can only do so because generations before them fought and some made the last sacrifice to pay for that freedom they now take for granted.
Have any of you seen the Movie "Grey Hound" yet, you really should, there is a scene near the end that perfectly shows the cost of war, the cost we Americans have paid over the many years of this nations existence! As the Destroyer Code Named Greyhound is pulling away, you see all the liberty ships sailing past blowing their horns and shouting their thanks, the decks lined with thousands of U.S Troops heading to Merry Ol' England to bring the war to Hitler's front door! That scene resounds within me, the cost so many have paid, the cost of a few to protect the many from great harm or certain death!
For too many people today is remembered as when the Nazi kamikazes took-off from U-boats to bomb Pearl Harbor, which is close to Gettysburg, but after a long hard fight General George Washington defeated them and President Abraham Lincoln freed the Jews! ....and I'm talking about college students! I'm afraid that some of us may live to see the day when the WW2 memorials (and others) will be replaced with monuments for those brave and peaceful ANTIFA and BLM protestors, and the American fighting man called a pawn of the racist/ capitalist American system!
My grandfather was a farmer so they would not take him even when he tried to join so instead all his sons my uncle fought and my mother and her sisters work in a defense plant making coils for anything with a engine They knew what sacrifice was
My grandfather was in the Army,, stationed at Pearl Harbor ,,, but his enlistment ended , and he got out of the Army in 1939 . A few years later ,, he was being recalled into the Army,, by this time, I think he had 2 kids ,, 1 of them my Mom who was born in '40 . So my grandfather started selling everything he had , that his wife could do without,, so she could have money for her and the kids until his Army pay started kicking in. My grandmother and Mom was moving back into her mother's house so she wouldn't have to pay rent. My grandfather said they went on a picnic at the lake the night before he was supposed to ship out. He said when they got home ,, everyone was happy,,, jumping around and cheering . He said they asked him ,,, " have you heard the news " he said ,,No ,,, they said " The war is over " . My grandfather said he was pissed , because he couldn't buy anything he sold back , because he didn't get enough money from selling it ,, said everyone just barely had enough money to get by as it was .
The Pearl Harbor attack killed over 2,300 sailors and we went to war with Japan. The Chinese flu has killed over 280,000 innocent U.S. citizens and we are trading more and more with them. WTF???
