Posted by Paul Cook on Tuesday, December 07, 2004 at 5:15PM :
In Reply to: December 7, 1941 posted by JimmieD on Tuesday, December 07, 2004 at 8:40AM :
This is the day each year when I cruise the mall in the WC-52 and park it on top of any vehicle with a brand name that was not available at a US dealer in September 1945. And when I have the WC-52 firmly parked, I holler, "REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR!"
Okay, so I'm kidding.
But here are a few serious thoughts from an old guy. I remember the air raid drills, the rationing, and many of the other life style changes of World War II.
I was in Junior High School during the Korean Conflict (Politicians say it's not a war unless it has been 'declared') Everyday we wondered if this "war" would be over by the time we were old enough to serve in the military.
I retired from the US Army after serving 20 years in the Cold War environment. (1961 - 1982)
My wars are over. They are history. Former enemies are now our Allies - more or less. We have seen how politics, egos, and ineptitude can hurt a nation. We have seen unbelievable heroics and great honor.
I have accepted these things as they are and am getting on with my life...
Many of you on this Forum were born after I retired. You have never faced being drafted. You do not spend a lot of time watching current events for things that might require you to face a hostile force. You are blessed by the soldiers who did their part. Let's pray that the politicians in all the countires do their part.
I still watch current events with a great deal of concern. My son and my daughter-in-law left their children behind and served together in Iraq. They just had their first full Thanksgiving holiday together in two years. They may be going back again. No whining. No law suits.
There are still some things that we old guys think about.
When I grew up, a Mitsubishi was a fighter plane that attacked Pearl Harbor. Now a company that produced for Hitler owns the company that built the Dodge trucks that beat Hitler - and that company owns a piece of Mitsubishi. A Kawasaki was a twin-engined bomber that rained destruction all over the Pacific rim. There's a Kawasaki sitting in the Museum building - my son's dirt bike he's had since 1982.
The Japanese corporations that have done much to take American jobs are quick to point out that the vehicles they build in the USA create jobs. That may be true, but the real test of an American car or truck is "Where do the profits go?"
Okay, I have accepted the new multinational economy as an inevitable fact.
I am troubled that American soldiers are standing trial 15 miles from where I am sitting for their alleged misconduct in a prison, while much worse conduct took place in Japanese prison camps with only a few top guys prosecuted as war criminals and the rest of the camp personnel went home.
But I am also troubled that we have not learned from those misdeeds and done better ourselves.
Remember Pearl Harbor for all the lessons.
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