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Anecdote This is
a story of Douglas MacArthur shortly after taking command at
West Point
One
professor, a colonel, was furious at Doug's proposal to institute
a rigorous two-year course in English. At a board meeting
he interrupted MacArthur to denounce the idiocy of wasting so
much of a soldier's time teaching him how to handle words instead
of weapons.
Doug
endured the colonel's antediluvian prating as long as he could
... [Then] he roared, "Sit down, sir — I have the
floor! I think your own impoverished speech proves my case
for the need of an officer to learn how to present his views
in an intelligent and convincing manner. Without this ability
an officer may have the finest judgment in the world, he may
even be as wise as Solomon, yet his influence will be practically
negligible. We are not training weapons at West Point,
sir — we are training military minds! Without
a solid grounding in English, no officer can either grasp or
communicate the subtleties and complexities of international
conflicts in the Twentieth Century. The pen, sir, is still
mightier than the sword !" (Source: Douglas MacArthur:
Front-Line General, Jules Archer, 1965, pages 62-63)
On September 1, 1923, Japan
suffered a devastating earthquake that killed 143,000 people.
In a matter of hours the United States sent a convoy of
ships with medical supplies and more than ten million dollars
in aid. The Emperor sent a famous five word cablegram to
the White House: "America, we will never forget."
Eighteen years later, on December 7, 1941, Japan bombed
Pearl Harbor, killing 2800 Americans. Japan forgot.
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Literature:
Patriotic Prose / Poetry Interesting, hard to locate items !
Patriotic Poems
More patriotic poems for your celebrations !
See Veterans Day Poetry for pieces specifically about the soldier and
from the soldier
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Pearl Harbor Day Stories
The following Pearl
Harbor Day stories are here by permission of the authors so that
others can begin to understand how the unprovoked attack on Pearl
Harbor on 7 December 1941 has impacted generations of Americans.
If you would care to share your family's Pearl Harbor Day stories,
contact Love
to Learn Place
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My great-uncle was on the USS
Oklahoma during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He didn't survive.
His name is listed among the Pearl Harbor casualties (Kenneth
L. Holm).
My mom's parents had gotten
married on December 7, 1941. When they came out of the church,
the town bells were ringing. At first they thought the bells
were being rung in congratulations for their wedding. They soon
learned that the bells were being rung for a much more serious
reason. :-( My grandfather left his bride to go fight
in the war. They are celebrating their 58th wedding anniversary
today, however!
Yes, we've had a history lesson
on Pearl Harbor today! :-)
— Kim |
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My parents were newlyweds.
They had married 16 August 1941 ... so they had not even been
married 4 months. On their way home they heard the terrible news.
The next morning around 5:00
a.m. my father woke up extra early, dressed and headed down to
the recruiter's office only to find the line to the recruiter's
office to be many miles long. Apparently, when other American
men had heard what happened at Pearl Harbor, they rolled up their
sleeping bags and headed down the same day and began to wait
in line .... sleeping in line overnight in their sleeping bags
!!!
— Beverly |
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My mom heard the news over
the radio while in the hospital recovering from an appendectomy.
She remembers feelings of shock mixed with fear. While she continued
to recover at home, her family constantly listened to the radio
for further reports. Her grandmother was terminally ill upstairs,
and because of mother's surgery, she was forbidden to climb stairs.
The doctor finally allowed her to go back up the stairs to see
her grandmother, who died shortly thereafter. Dealing with her
grandmother's illness and the escalating war was a frightening
time for her. During this time she made the decision to join
the Navy, despite her brother's comments that "nice girls
don't join the Navy." She said she proved him wrong! Two
years later she enlisted, serving most of the time outside Washington.
The last 3 mos. of the war she handled discharge papers in Washington.
Dad was grinding lenses for
an optometrist when he heard the news about Pearl Harbor on the
radio. A bit less inspired to enlist than my mother, he still
realized that he would have to join, so he did. He hoped he would
be used to make glasses, but the Navy wanted him as a medic.
He spent most of his time in the South Pacific, first transporting
the wounded from shore to ship and then treating the wounded
on shore. He won't discuss much more than that; he feels it wouldn't
be right to talk about such personal things. I think it just
too painful for him to recall. Recently, while planning my precious
Dad's funeral, I discovered a form he had completed years ago
to aid us in that planning. On this form, Dad said that one of
the most meaningful accomplishments of his life was "whatever
care and help [I] could give to sick and wounded during World
War II."
My mother said good friends
of theirs came over today (12/7/98) and shared their stories.
The gentleman friend was a reporter for the Washington Post
attending a Washington Redskins football game when the announcer
started calling for all generals, captains, and other officers
to report to the gate. Another journalist friend decided he needed
to check it out and heard the news from the press box at the
stadium. My parent's friend left immediately for his position
at the Washington Post.
— Pat |
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Folding the Flag
The following information on Folding
the Flag was sent by Russell Maynard of Michigan. Did you
know that government schools stopped teaching this in 1955? Sad,
isn't it! The flag is folded 13 times to symbolize the
original 13 colonies, but there is much more to the flag folding.
Read on ...
The 1st fold of our flag
is a symbol of life.
The 2nd fold is a symbol of
our belief in eternal life.
The 3rd fold is made in honor
and remembrance of the veterans departing our ranks who gave
a portion of their lives for the defense of our country to attain
peace throughout the world.
The 4th fold represents our
weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is
to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in time of war for
His divine guidance.
The 5th fold is a tribute to
our country, for in the words of Stephen Decaur, "Our Country,
in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but
it is still our country, right or wrong."
The 6th fold is for where our
hearts lie. It is with our hearts that, "We pledge allegiance
to the flag of the United States Of America, and to the Republic
for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with
Liberty and Justice for all."
The 7th fold is a tribute to
our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we
protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether
they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.
The 8th fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley
of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day.
The 9th fold is a tribute to
womanhood, and Mothers. For it has been through their faith,
their love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men
and women who have made this country great has been molded.
The 10th fold is a tribute
to the fathers, for they, too, has given their sons and daughters
for the defense of our country since they were first born.
The 11th fold represents the
lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and
glorifies in the Hebrews' eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob.
The 12th fold represents an
emblem of eternity and glorifies, in the Christians' eyes, God
the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.
The 13th fold, or when the
flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost reminding
us of our nation's motto, "In God We Trust."
After the flag is completely
folded and tucked in, it takes on the appearance of a cocked
hat, ever reminding us of the soldiers who served under General
George Washington, and the sailors and marines who served under
Captain John Paul Jones, who were followed by their comrades
and shipmates in the Armed Forces of the United States, preserving
for us the rights, privileges and freedoms we enjoy today. There
are some traditions and ways of doing things that have deep meaning.
In the future, you'll see flags folded and now you will know
why.
Do you know that at military
funerals, the 21 gun salute actually stands for the sum of the
numbers in the year 1776?
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Internet Field Trips
USS Arizona Memorial
The Memorial straddles the sunken hull of the battleship USS
Arizona and commemorates the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack
on Pearl Harbor. The Memorial was dedicated in 1962, and became
a National Park Service area in 1980.
USS Arizona
The USS Arizona is the final resting place for many of the ship's
1,177 crewmen who lost their lives on December 7, 1941. The 184-foot-long
Memorial structure spanning the mid-portion of the sunken battleship
consists of three main sections: the entry and assembly rooms;
a central area designed for ceremonies and general observation;
and the shrine room, where the names of those killed on the Arizona
are engraved on the marble wall.
Pearl Harbor Remembered
This fascinating site includes: map of Pearl Harbor, timeline
of events, map showing route of Japanese attackers, and more
Road to Pearl
Harbor
This gives a list of events leading up to the attack of Pearl
Harbor.
Attack at Pearl Harbor
Interesting eyewitness account
Air Raid on Pearl Harbor (Library of Congress)
Pearl Harbor Live Web Cam
This site asks for "A Moment of Silence" as we remember
the ultimate sacrifice so many made on our behalf.
Hear FDR's announcement to Congress
You can actually have your children listen to FDR's announcement
that Pearl Harbor had been bombed!
Operation: Pearl Harbor
This site includes a real time simulation of the attack at the
Pearl Harbor, along with biographies on the major political and
military men involved. This site is fully multimedia enriched
with audio files, images, photographs and animated images and
we suggest viewing our page with an Internet connection 33600
bits per sec or faster.
Pearl Harbor Survivor's Association
The name of this web site says it all
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Poetry
The following poem
by Edgar Guest is probably the most eloquent and succinct yet
for Christian homeschoolers and private schoolers in memory of
those that fought our country's battles to secure our freedom.
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The finest tribute we can pay
Unto our hero dead to-day,
Is not a rose wreath, white and red,
In memory of the blood they shed;
It is to stand beside each mound,
Each couch of consecrated ground,
And pledge ourselves as warriors true
Unto the work they died to do.
Into God's valleys where they
lie
At rest, beneath the open sky,
Triumphant now o'er every foe,
As living tributes let us go.
No wreath of rose or immortelles
Or spoken word or tolling bells
Will do to-day, unless we give
Our pledge that liberty shall live.
Our hearts must be the roses
red
We place above our hero dead;
To-day beside their graves we must
Renew allegiance to their trust;
Must bare our heads and humbly say
We hold the flag as dear as they,
And stand, as once they stood, to die
To keep the Stars and Stripes on high.
The finest tribute we can pay
Unto our hero dead to-day
Is not of speech or roses red,
But living, throbbing hearts instead,
That shall renew the pledge they sealed
With death upon the battlefield;
That freedom's flag shall bear no stain
And free men wear no tyrant's chain. |
Confusing vocabulary in this
poem?
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The tune, Praise the Lord and Pass
the Ammunition written by Frank Loesser, became popular shortly
after the Pearl Harbor attack on 7 December 1941. Below
are the lyrics.
Praise the Lord and Pass the
Ammunition
Down went the gunner,
a bullet was his fate
Down went the gunner, then the gunners mate
Up jumped the sky pilot, gave the boys a look
And manned the gun himself as he laid aside The Book, shouting
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition and we'll all stay free!
Praise the Lord and
swing into position!
Can't afford to sit around and wishin'
Praise the Lord we're all between perdition
and the deep blue sea!
Yes the sky pilot said
it
You've got to give him credit
for a son-of-gun-of-a- gunner was he,
Shouting;
Praise the Lord we're on a mighty mission!
All aboard, we're not a-goin' fishin;
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition and we'll all stay free!
Note:
The Chaplain Howell Forgy (Lieutenant j.g.), aboard the U.S.S.
New Orleans, in the song is the "sky pilot" who
was asked to pray for the men as they defended themselves, the
military base, and their country. According to the lyrics,
the preacher carefully places his Bible down while taking hold
of the gun himself encouraging his men to defend their country
and home. Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition
- Copyright 1942 by Famous Music Corp., 1619 Broadway, New York
City, NY
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Request:
Does anybody have any special activites (craft, academic,
or otherwise) for Pearl Harbor Day?
If so, e-mail us your ideas by clicking here
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Beverly Schmitt 1997-2004, all rights reserved
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