These men of that generation...it brings to mind one of my favorite quotes, yet bittersweet and sad from Tales of The South Pacific by James Michener:
"They will live a long time, these men of the South Pacific. They had an American quality. They, like their victories, will be remembered as long as our generation lives. After that, like the men of the Confederacy, they will become strangers. Longer and longer shadows will obscure them, until their Guadalcanal sounds distant on the ear like Shiloh and Valley Forge."
Yet, here we are.
Only 23 years out from 9/11, and already it is sounding more distant on our ear.
You would think we had learned something from Pearl Harbor.
About 24 November 1941, Marblehead, with TF 5, departed Manila Bay She anchored at Tarakan, Borneo, 29 November and waited for further instructions. On 8 December (7 December in the United States) she received the message -"JAPAN STARTED HOSTILITIES; GOVERN YOURSELVES ACCORDINGLY".
