Posted on 12/07/2009 12:31:38 PM PST by Edisto Joe
December 7, 1941 is a day that will be forever ingrained in the minds of my family. That morning a knock came at the door of my grandparents home. My grandfather opened the door, and it was Mr. Steele, their next door neighbor. He was in a very excited state and kept repeating, have you heard, have you heard? The news he was carrying stunned them, Pearl Harbor had been attacked.
After the initial shock passed, my grandfather and Mr. Steele went into the living room and turned on the radio as my grandmother made coffee. Their they stayed for the rest of the day. My grandmother kept trying to get through to her sister, Lena, on the phone and finally was able to connect with Lena's husband John.
All day the reports coming in had not been good, the country was now at war with Japan. My grandmother talked with John since Lena would not come to the phone. She wanted to know if there was any word about Elmer, their second oldest son. He told her no, that they only knew what everyone else knew, Pearl Harbor had been attacked and considerable damage was inflicted, no word on actual causalities but the news wasn't encouraging. All the children were at home, there were six, four boys, two girls, by their mothers side awaiting news.
Toward the end of the week and into the next,all the horrifying details of the attack came out, and the official notice arrived. A Navy recruiting officer along with the local Baptist minister came to Lena and John's house.
Elmer was on board his ship, The Arizona, during the attack and was confirmed dead. By the end of the following week three of her remaining sons had joined the Navy and one would follow
(Excerpt) Read more at edistojoe.com ...
Perhaps this topic is a little more serious to some as opposed to others.
My Dad, a WW II vet who is now passed on, said it was a very somber day. He and his university buddies were studying together when the news came over the radio. They all knew they were going to war, my Dad said. The school put them on an accelerated program while they did ROTC and finished their degrees, then my Dad joined the Army Air Force for flight training.
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