[Coco] Lest we forget, Dec 07, 1941, 70 years ago today

[gene heskett]

On Thursday, December 08, 2011 09:37:09 PM Wayne Campbell did opine:

> I observed that the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association is officially
> disbanding now. I guess there won't be anymore survivors visiting the
> memorial from now on. 12/7/1941 is at least as important to remember as
> 9/11/2001. Whether or not there will be future public rememberances, and
> despite the fact that I was born 14 years after the attack, I will
> always remember, and I will always give reverence to those who gave
> their lives for us, no matter what battle, or what war they fought in.
> 
> Wayne
 
I was just 7 when the announcement came over grandpa's battery powered 
radio that evening. The whole house came to a screeching halt while that 
soaked in, the silence for several minutes broken only by Grandpa's crying.

The strongest memory I have of that night is that of my stepfather(Daddy to 
me) and grandfather crying while grandpa prayed for the men he knew were 
going to die, including my dad.  The announcement of the draft had them 
both riding a buckboard to town the next day to register.  Grandpa of 
course was too old, and the war was done by the time the draft got up to 
within about 2 years of daddies age, so daddy did the next best thing, 
moved from a farm in Madison County (yeah, that Madison County with all the 
bridges) to Des Moines & both Mom & Dad worked at the ammunition factory in 
Ankeny IA until just after VE day.  The husband of one of Dads sisters 
survived the Bataan death march and the 'labor' camps & didn't get home 
till a couple of months after VJ day.  We didn't know about PTSD, so he got 
a job in a print shop and some fishing poles & spent a lot of time looking 
for a monster catfish in the Des Moines River, preferably alone.  And 
refused to talk about the march at all, so his story passed untold 20 years 
ago with him.

War is hell, make no mistake about it.  And yet I've missed it.  Call it 
phenomenal luck or whatever but when korea came around, they didn't like my 
attitude & 4f'd me.

Thanks Wayne.

Cheers, Gene
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