very good idea! i am sure there will be some contributions.

I wish I had more time to post stuff, but for now, I'll just say, Thanks for posting this, Mike!!

Our thoughts are with them all.

Brenda

Thanks for posting this Army guy! :-)

I heard a news story on the radio yesterday that a few hundred survivors of Pearl Harbor gather at the site every 5 years and they would do so again this year. It is uncertain if there will be a 70th anniversary as these folks are all getting up in age.

Pearl Harbor and 9/11 may have had many parallels as far as the loss of life and their consequences for our country but I think the presence of all the communication channels that are available to us today really allowed 9/11 to have a bigger impact on America's psyche. Most of us saw those live graphic images in NY and DC unfold in front of our eyes whereas most Americans in 1941 were limited to distant news bulletins on the radio. Still, I think Pearl Harbor played a MUCH bigger role in our history and reshaping our country in the long run than 9/11 has thus far.

Semper Fi,
-Mark

Pearl Harbor affected many (if not most) people greatly, including my husband's uncle Robert, who felt compelled to join the Army Air Corps after the attack. Hence his involvement later on in the war, namely in the China-Burma-India (CBI) theatre.

He flew with a P40 fighter group (80th; 88th & 89th squadron) called the Burma Banshees (since their planes produced a wailing sound that put the fear of the Corps into the Japanese :D), which utilized skull heads as nose art (unlike the famous Flying Tigers' grinning shark mouths). His plane was christened Dikam Death, in honor of the terrible feeling he'd have the day after partaking in a local alcoholic brew. :D

He had 2 confirmed kills during his time in the Corps, and his stories are always fascinating. Just hearing the excitement in his voice and seeing the memories in his eyes is beyond words. On June 2nd, Uncle Robert will be 87 years young. We thank him every time we visit him, and let him know just how much we appreciate what he did for our country.

Brenda

{{gwi:174833}}

OUTSTANDING story Brenda!

Anyone else???

My uncle was, by all accounts, a life-loving, vibrant guy until he was blown off the Arizona when it was first hit. He survived, led a full and wonderful life, but I was told he never again was that full of life person.

He felt that survivor's guilt, the "why did so many die and I was spared syndrome" that no one figured out back then. I knew him well and he always had a wonderful pond in his yard. I often sat with him at the side of the pond, and as I grew older realized he was somehow drawn into the water, staring deep, seeming to be looking at or for something.

I enjoyed those times as an adult as well. While he never really talked about his "disappearing into the water" episodes, he gave me enough clues to tell his story to a comrade of sorts.

And that is why I now have a pond and spend time reflecting on life in its water. An odd twist from that long-ago event.

Mike