On that date in 1941 my father was a young sailor at Pearl Harbor, USS Reed anticipating an 8 am relief from a normal duty watch. That all went in the air when the Japanese showed up spoiling everyones day. Twenty years later I made a presentation of that event to my high school junior history class. My sources for that presentation were based on the book "Day of Infamy by Lord, and accounts passed on to me by my father. FDR minced no meat when he addressed the American People of that attack. His strategy was straightforward, arm to the teeth and kick the shit out of Japan. Now compare that to the actions of the Current Occupant of the White House who refuses to call a spade a spade and wants to disarm the people. It has been any years since we have seen a high ranking democrat with any sack speaking out against the "liberal" members of the partys fish flop directions. I'm glad these people were not in control on 12/07/1941?
Excellent input YF5545, ......good reading, great personal Historical perspective you gave us........hats off to ya' ...and Your Dad... This Day that will live in Infamy, now has two serious implications in my life. My 14 yr younger Brother had been deceased, but 3 yrs, when His Widow (with their 2 kids) was hit head on, while rounding a corner in a Canyon drive, not far from here. This occurred 3 yrs ago today, and she broke every bone in her body, no exaggeration, including her neck, skull, spine, et al. She was driving a Lexus but was hit by a Ford-F350. The guy who hit her had a heart attack, the moment he rounded the corner, knocking her car 50 feet off a cliff, crumbling up her car like a beer can. Then a LASD Captain at LA's Twin Towers Downtown Prison, had a car full of bullets, always carried an AR-15, a 18 inch 12 Shell Shotgun, and several handguns. The LAFD could not access her car to get her out of the burning wreckage, as bullets were flying from the fire consuming the car. What is so fkn weird, is, 14 eye witnesses out of 14, all reported on record, they saw a Big Man almost a shadow, pulling her from the wreckage, (could that be my brother?, I'm not even going to pretend to know how to answer that)- BUT, get this which really blows my mind: Her Seat Belt was still attached and in place undisturbed, with NO cut belt either, WTF......... She spent more than a Year and a half in a Hospital, requiring one surgery after another. Then another year in a Convalescent home, going through Physical therapy for every bone, joint, et al. She finally made it home just this past summer, to her kids..... Yes, this Nation's most memorable date IMO, INFAMY......!
Here is THE Pic I'm referring too: and PS: the Big Shadow, an Angelic presence??? Tho' more than a dozen people are on record, as seeing this Big Shadow, no one ever saw Him come out of the Canyon.
My thoughts and prayers are with you, your sister, your brother and your family. Guardian Angels have always been with us.
It was my own personal Pearl Harbor, to stop on the way to get her kids in the middle of the night, and see this scene. The hardest thing I have ever done, was to bury my only Brother, 1 week after his 37th Birthday, (same day of the Challenger Incident by the way). Fate and dates, play key roles in this life. My Nephew sitting on my lap, could only say: "My Daddy's in their" pointing at the coffin in front of us. The 2nd hardest thing, was to wake the kids up, inform them, their Mother was in very serious and critical condition in the Hospital, for 3 months comatose, before they could see her. Numerous brain surgeries, and a broken neck, (as well as surgeries to come for the next year, to put her bones back together). No one who was tending to her in the hospital, expected Her to survive this horror of a wreck. Horrible timing for the kids, right before jubilant Christmas. I thought this will be the worst Xmas in mine and their lives. When the LASD spread the word amongst their ranks, the Toys 4 Tots Sheriff's campaign, kicked in over drive, and brought the kids more gifts than they could unwrap. A bittersweet time, to see so many care and give to the kids. While the only gift we all wanted, was for her to fulfill a miracle, ie, survive and bounce back, which was then very unlikely. That Christmas, was one somber day of Thanks, being told to prepare for the worst, but hope for the best. A true Miracle she is alive to this day, and just recently back on her feet, as nimble as they are, pieced back together, with plates over 2 years of surgeries. Dates and Fate, play key roles in my life. "The Day of Infamy", along with the 'Challenger Incident' occurring on my Brother's Birthday anniversary.
