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

[Boisy G. Pitre]

Gene,

There are times when your verbosity is worth the effort to read, and this was certainly one of those times.  Thank you for sharing and God bless.
--
Boisy G. Pitre
http://www.tee-boy.com/

On Dec 8, 2011, at 10:03 PM, gene heskett wrote:

> 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
> -- 
> "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
> soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
> -Ed Howdershelt (Author)
> My web page: <http://coyoteden.dyndns-free.com:85/gene>
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> 
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