THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

2015 ~ June 24

What went through the minds of the children of our servicemen after the bombs dropped on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941? At least two members of the Prescott AZ chapter of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors who attended their luncheon meeting this month remembered that date in history.  Sirens began wailing, calling the men to duty on the island of Oahu, one of them recalled, even though it was a Sunday. One can only imagine the confusion, the fear, the wait for evacuation.

 I had been invited as guest speaker to share my presentation The-Story-Behind-the-Story of my World War II novel, BIG WAR Little Wars. The Prologue addresses the surprise of a typical Wisconsin family as the news reached them via radio.

Hearing first-hand accounts triggered my recalling a TV interview from 2014. A local World War II veteran—in his 90s—told of being on board one of the naval ships in the harbor as the bombing occurred.  His eyes filled with tears as he described witnessing the incoming, laughing face of the Japanese pilot who was one of the attackers. Some memories, even those carried for more than seventy years, cannot be easily blotted out. I cannot imagine being that close to an enemy driven to that extent.

What will it take to bring peace to our planet? More wars haven’t resulted in world-wide peace. The dollars spent bought no peace. Whatever  the answer is, we cannot implement it soon enough to suit me.