December 7th - a day that will live in infamy

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Today is Pearl Harbor Day. Wonder if anyone watches "Lest We Forget" on this day.

It's been 80 years. Hard to believe that when the episode aired it was only 40 years. But even at the time I'm sure it felt like "ancient history" to youngsters watching that episode.

Boy, time flies!

[Keleko]

I didn't see your topic when I made a similar one in the main sub-forum: Watching "Lest We Forget" & "Almost Home" for Dec. 7th But yeah, I plan on watching both episodes tonight.

And yes, 80 years...wow. Most people don't have a personal connection to that event (I don't, either--but I find it important to reflect on it), and WW2 in general might as well be contemporaneous with ancient Egypt, as for how it's viewed today. That's sad, in a way.

[Styles Bitchley]

Probably unsurprisingly, this isn’t a big day outside the US. We all have our national commemorations and I guess that’s standard for wars. November 11 is our big day of remembrance in the Commonwealth and this year I watched The Great Escape with my boys. I think it’s incredibly important to keep the knowledge of this chapter in history alive so we don’t end up repeating it. Might have to do a little lesson on Pearl Harbor now that you mention it.

[MikeS]

Today is Pearl Harbor Day. Wonder if anyone watches "Lest We Forget" on this day.

It's been 80 years. Hard to believe that when the episode aired it was only 40 years. But even at the time I'm sure it felt like "ancient history" to youngsters watching that episode.

Boy, time flies!

You're not kidding.

What struck me, even though it's obvious, was when a news person happened to say something to the effect -- "the average age of the few remaining survivors is 96" -- this reminded me time is short.

On a side note, John Finn was a neighbor and I didn't even know it (for a long time), know he's gone too.
->https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-ar ... -finn.html

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Today is Pearl Harbor Day. Wonder if anyone watches "Lest We Forget" on this day.

It's been 80 years. Hard to believe that when the episode aired it was only 40 years. But even at the time I'm sure it felt like "ancient history" to youngsters watching that episode.

Boy, time flies!

You're not kidding.

What struck me, even though it's obvious, was when a news person happened to say something to the effect -- "the average age of the few remaining survivors is 96" -- this reminded me time is short.

On a side note, John Finn was a neighbor and I didn't even know it (for a long time), know he's gone too.
->https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-ar ... -finn.html

Yes, it's sad that there are only a few WWII vets still living. It's downright scary to think that in 10 years (or even less) all will cease to exist. Father time marches on. Seems like just yesterday WWII vets were everywhere. But then we forget that it's been 20 years already since 9/11. To me it seems like yesterday. But then I was 20 yesterday and today I'm 40. So if the average age of today's survivors is 96 then just 20 years ago it was only 76. You could run into a WWII vet back then almost anywhere. Seems like everyone served in the Big One. I think we often took our vets for granted, thinking they would always be with us. Sadly that's not the case.

[Pahonu]

Today is Pearl Harbor Day. Wonder if anyone watches "Lest We Forget" on this day.

It's been 80 years. Hard to believe that when the episode aired it was only 40 years. But even at the time I'm sure it felt like "ancient history" to youngsters watching that episode.

Boy, time flies!

You're not kidding.

What struck me, even though it's obvious, was when a news person happened to say something to the effect -- "the average age of the few remaining survivors is 96" -- this reminded me time is short.

On a side note, John Finn was a neighbor and I didn't even know it (for a long time), know he's gone too.
->https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-ar ... -finn.html

Yes, it's sad that there are only a few WWII vets still living. It's downright scary to think that in 10 years (or even less) all will cease to exist. Father time marches on. Seems like just yesterday WWII vets were everywhere. But then we forget that it's been 20 years already since 9/11. To me it seems like yesterday. But then I was 20 yesterday and today I'm 40. So if the average age of today's survivors is 96 then just 20 years ago it was only 76. You could run into a WWII vet back then almost anywhere. Seems like everyone served in the Big One. I think we often took our vets for granted, thinking they would always be with us. Sadly that's not the case.

When I started teaching history 27 years ago, there were many thousands of World War I veterans still around! As the years passed, I collected the obituaries of many of the final survivors from various countries and shared them with my students. About ten or so years ago the last were gone. The end of WWII was about 27 years after WWI so I suspect a similar timeline will see the last of the WWII vets in about 15-18 years.

When I was a child in the 70’s it seemed like all the old men in the neighborhood were veterans. My father, since passed, was a boy during the war and would talk to all the old neighbors about their experiences. I didn’t understand at the time just how many had served. The US forces approached 16 million service members from a population of about 135 million citizens. That means about 12% of the population was enlisted, or about one in four men. Today, veterans represent about 7% of the population.

The overlap of history can sometimes be surprising. For example, the last Civil War veteran died after WWII in the 50’s and the last veteran of the American Revolution died after the Civil War. So it would have been possible, at least theoretically, for that Civil War veteran to tell my teenage father about his meeting with a Revolutionary War veteran. As a side note, my father told me many years ago about the foreman he had at his first electricians job in Canada. He was a WWI veteran fighter pilot and was already nearing retirement in the late 50’s. He recalled many stories he had heard from him.

[Styles Bitchley]

Ahh. WWI, back when Canada had a truly formidable Air Force. Great perspective, as always, Pahonu!

Incidentally, I did have a great uncle from New York and he was in the army in WWII. Only a few months ago, I received a package from a relative that contained many original photos from his time in In the Philippines and Japan just after VJ Day. He never had any children and I’m the one everyone knows to be interested in family history. So amazing touching history like that.

[Pahonu]

Ahh. WWI, back when Canada had a truly formidable Air Force. Great perspective, as always, Pahonu!

Incidentally, I did have a great uncle from New York and he was in the army in WWII. Only a few months ago, I received a package from a relative that contained many original photos from his time in In the Philippines and Japan just after VJ Day. He never had any children and I’m the one everyone knows to be interested in family history. So amazing touching history like that.

Not to rain on your parade, but I believe he was part of the Royal Flying Corp of the British Army as the RCAF wasn’t created until after WWI. The RAF only formed in the final months of the conflict. Pilots from India and South Africa also flew for the RFC.

Wonderful news about receiving your great uncle’s effects.

[Styles Bitchley]

I guess my point is that Canadians were among the best flying aces in WWI. Canadian officers made up 1/4 of the RAF in WWI and Billy Bishop was the second most accomplished Allied flying ace. Recruited from Canada and trained locally. So technically, you're right. But it's really just a matter of perspective. I mean, we used to fly the Union Jack and sing God Save the Queen up here too!

[Pahonu]

I guess my point is that Canadians were among the best flying aces in WWI. Canadian officers made up 1/4 of the RAF in WWI and Billy Bishop was the second most accomplished Allied flying ace. Recruited from Canada and trained locally. So technically, you're right. But it's really just a matter of perspective. I mean, we used to fly the Union Jack and sing God Save the Queen up here too!

Absolutely true about Canadian pilots, as my father always reminded me. There was also Roy Brown, who was credited then with downing the Red Baron, though modern evidence analysis seems to point more to gunfire from the trenches. My father told me about him more than once as well.

My parents actually sang God Save the KING when they were children in school.

[ConchRepublican]

I missed this thread ... I've seen Lest We Forget so many times I could probably reenact it completely myself! That said, watching it on Pearl Harbor Day is a good idea, like I do on Christmas and July 4th . . . . perhaps a double header with Almost Home.

As for December 7th, a few years ago I challenged myself that for one week I'd write a haiku a day inspired by my walk to the train station, forcing me to look around and pay attention to things around me instead of just plugging in the headphones. Well, it lasted almost 2 years and while most weren't all that good I did like the process. From that process I learned about Renkus as well and, well, I wrote this in honor of the day about 10 years or so ago. Again, not great but I thought I'd share . . .

December 7th renku ~

Radar blips ignored
"God forgive me Fala, this
Is the only way"

From out of the West they came
The land where our sun does fall

With vicious fury
Death rained down in paradise
Our innocence lost

[Styles Bitchley]

I missed this thread ... I've seen Lest We Forget so many times I couple probably reenact it completely mysefl1 That said, watching it on Pearl Harbor Day is a good idea, like I do on Christmas and July 4th . . . . perhaps a double header with Almost Home.

As for December 7th, a few years ago I challenged myself that for one week I'd write a haiku a day inspired by my walk to the train station, forcing me to look around and pay attention to things around me instead of just plugging in the headphones. Well, it lasted almost 2 years and while most weren't all that good I did like the process. From that process I learned about Renkus as well and, well, I wrote this in honor of the day about 10 years or so ago. Again, not great but I thought I'd share . . .

December 7th renku ~

Radar blips ignored
"God forgive me Fala, this
Is the only way"

From out of the West they came
The land where our sun does fall

With vicious fury
Death rained down in paradise
Our innocence lost

Nicely done. Very emotionally evocative. The fact that renkus are Japanese makes it even more poignant somehow.