It's Pearl Harbor Day, and I need to call my dad.

[knitter4democracy]

He was there. He was just six years old, and his family had just moved there, as his dad was in the Navy and chief on a ship stationed there. His dad's ship wasn't in the harbor that morning, thank goodness, but Dad and his sisters were, playing outside in the front yard since their stepmom was sleeping in on that Sunday morning and had trained them never to wake her up. He remembers the planes flying over the Navy housing, the black things falling out of the sky, and his neighbor coming over, scooping the kids up and getting them into his house's basement, shaking and scared of the explosions and all. His stepmom slept through the whole thing, oddly enough, but Dad remembers.

May all those who perished in the attack be at peace, and may all those who survived be at peace in their hearts. May we always remember to be vigilant and to listen to the enlisted men (they were the ones who got everything out and started shooting back).

[Historic NY]

1. 67 yrs ago.....the ships & crews are still on station.

[knitter4democracy]

2. One of these days, I'm going to get there.

Dad's been back. When I was a kid, he went over and even found his old house in Navy housing (he went with my uncle, I think, who was a Navy surgeon before he retired). It was good to talk with him again today. He's been really helpful through this divorce, even though it's bringing up bad memories for him, and today is a hard day for him, too.

[Historic NY]

3. A kind word for their memory sometimes helps...to know people still remember.

There are not many left and each day is precious.

[rockymountaindem]

4. Kick

[moc]

5. My dad was there too. He was 9yo. His dad was a commander of one of the ships but

they were outside the harbor about 10 miles when the attacks occurred. However, my dad and brothers and mom didn't know this for a couple of weeks.

My dad remembers being issued gas masks and playing in trenches and doing air raid drills. A couple of months after the attack, a kamikaze plane dropped a bomb in a school yard a couple of blocks from my dad's house in the middle of the night.