Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Today is Dec. 7th. My dad's birthday. He turned 12 the day Pearl Harbor was bombed. His dad was on a carrier in the Pacific (Navy). FDR said Dec 7th was a day that "would live in infamy" but I wonder how many kids today even know what happened (or why) on this date.
Thanks. I enjoyed the photos. I agree with your comments. There is historical memory and there is personal memory, and the latter dies off gradually with the replacing of one generation by another. Soon the veterans of World War II will be gone. Consider this: A fourteen year-old German boy who was drafted to fight for Hitler in 1945 as the Germans ran out of manpower (and tragically, there were a few that young) is now 80 years old!
The next level of memory resides in people like me - born in 1944. I remember uncles, neighbors, etc. who were veterans, so my personal acquaintance with participants made the war real for me, not "ancient history". I am now a senior citizen, and the next level of memory will be younger people who heard stories directly from aging grandparents, or perhaps heard stories second or third hand from people like me.
Thus, gradually, World War II is becoming history in books as opposed to personal memory, of which so many are only dimly aware, as they do what they have to do to get through high school history with a passing grade, but aren't really paying full attention.
Fortunately there are a few museums with presentations so well done as to make things come alive, museums with film clips, video interviews, gun camera film in addition to artifacts and still pictures on the walls. One such museum is the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredicksburg, Texas. The seemingly strange location is perhaps less so when we remember that Fredicksburg was the home town of Admiral Nimitz, commander of U.S. naval forces in the Pacific during World War II. The cummulative force of the presentations there, and the vast scale of the destruction and death, were of such force as to cause me to sit down and weep at the end. Your personal tie is your grandfather who was at sea; I recommend you go to Fredicksburg when you get a chance.
Another museum of comparable excellence is the D-Day Museum in New Orleans.
Thanks. I enjoyed the photos. I agree with your comments. There is historical memory and there is personal memory, and the latter dies off gradually with the replacing of one generation by another. Soon the veterans of World War II will be gone. Consider this: A fourteen year-old German boy who was drafted to fight for Hitler in 1945 as the Germans ran out of manpower (and tragically, there were a few that young) is now 80 years old!
The next level of memory resides in people like me - born in 1944. I remember uncles, neighbors, etc. who were veterans, so my personal acquaintance with participants made the war real for me, not "ancient history". I am now a senior citizen, and the next level of memory will be younger people who heard stories directly from aging grandparents, or perhaps heard stories second or third hand from people like me.
Thus, gradually, World War II is becoming history in books as opposed to personal memory, of which so many are only dimly aware, as they do what they have to do to get through high school history with a passing grade, but aren't really paying full attention.
Fortunately there are a few museums with presentations so well done as to make things come alive, museums with film clips, video interviews, gun camera film in addition to artifacts and still pictures on the walls. One such museum is the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredicksburg, Texas. The seemingly strange location is perhaps less so when we remember that Fredicksburg was the home town of Admiral Nimitz, commander of U.S. naval forces in the Pacific during World War II. The cummulative force of the presentations there, and the vast scale of the destruction and death, were of such force as to cause me to sit down and weep at the end. Your personal tie is your grandfather who was at sea; I recommend you go to Fredicksburg when you get a chance.
Another museum of comparable excellence is the D-Day Museum in New Orleans.
Yes, right there with you on your thoughts and comments.
I had no idea about the war museum in Fredricksburg, TX! I would have made plans to visit had I known (back in the days when I had business in various areas of TX). Well - now I know - so maybe someday in the future I will have the opportunity to go.
I feel a strong tie to that period of history - never have known exactly why, tho. Perhaps b/c of the stories my dad and grandfather shared. I re-watched "Winds of War" this past weekend (available in instant view from Netflix, for anyone else interested!). Sadly, "War and Remembrance" is not available . . . FYI.
Anyway, I keep finding out little bits and pieces about WWII that I didn't know . . . despite my keen interest. Luckily, hubby is as interested in the period so we have done a lot of museum tours and research together.
Just seems impossible that now my dad, who was a 12 year old in 1941, is 82 now. He said last evening that he frankly had problems relating to what it means to be 82 - as he still feels (mentally) that he should be "middle aged." I know the feeling . . . we talked about WWII and how now it was ancient history to the upcoming generation. He said he was asked by a young person at the grocery check out yesterday if he had served in WWII. (Dad had stated it was his birthday and some convo ensued about Pearl Harbor). Dad said he told the young man - No, I am a Korean War Veteran, and the kid gave him a completely blank look. Dad said - you know - the Korean War started in 1950. Again, a blank look. Dad said it hit him - this young man has no clue what I am even talking about.
Yes, right there with you on your thoughts and comments.
I had no idea about the war museum in Fredricksburg, TX! I would have made plans to visit had I known (back in the days when I had business in various areas of TX). Well - now I know - so maybe someday in the future I will have the opportunity to go.
I feel a strong tie to that period of history - never have known exactly why, tho. Perhaps b/c of the stories my dad and grandfather shared. I re-watched "Winds of War" this past weekend (available in instant view from Netflix, for anyone else interested!). Sadly, "War and Remembrance" is not available . . . FYI.
Anyway, I keep finding out little bits and pieces about WWII that I didn't know . . . despite my keen interest. Luckily, hubby is as interested in the period so we have done a lot of museum tours and research together.
Just seems impossible that now my dad, who was a 12 year old in 1941, is 82 now. He said last evening that he frankly had problems relating to what it means to be 82 - as he still feels (mentally) that he should be "middle aged." I know the feeling . . . we talked about WWII and how now it was ancient history to the upcoming generation. He said he was asked by a young person at the grocery check out yesterday if he had served in WWII. (Dad had stated it was his birthday and some convo ensued about Pearl Harbor). Dad said he told the young man - No, I am a Korean War Veteran, and the kid gave him a completely blank look. Dad said - you know - the Korean War started in 1950. Again, a blank look. Dad said it hit him - this young man has no clue what I am even talking about.
Ah, how soon we do forget . . .
I also have a strong tie to the WW11 era. It may have started for me in the 6th grade. I had an older female social studies teacher who thought we were very special because we were born during the war. She referred to us as "war babies". She had war bond posters hanging on the walls of her classroom. I remember one poster showed a handsome young soldier laying wounded on the ground holding out his hand for help. That poster really left an impact on me even to this day. I remember the teacher was always very emotional & sad as she recalled the events of the war. She must have been personally effected by the war. Back in those days, teachers did not talk about themselves. I also had classmates who had lost fathers and/or uncles in the war.
The Ken Burns documentary "The War" is excellent. I haven't watched it in a couple of years but I think it consists of about 5 dvds. I would like to watch it again but it is packed in a box back in Pittsburgh.
I am also interested in the great depression and have read books & watched many dvds about that era. I guess I am just memorized by the struggles & survival of the "greatest generation". My own parents fled West Texas and the dust bowl making their way to Detroit in 1935.
Today is Dec. 7th. My dad's birthday. He turned 12 the day Pearl Harbor was bombed. His dad was on a carrier in the Pacific (Navy). FDR said Dec 7th was a day that "would live in infamy" but I wonder how many kids today even know what happened (or why) on this date.
My father was also on a carrier in the Pacific. He will be 86 years old this month. I'm not particularly interested in WWII, however, he has recently started reminiscing and his stories have been a bit surprising. Transporting Chinese...etc.
My father was also on a carrier in the Pacific. He will be 86 years old this month. I'm not particularly interested in WWII, however, he has recently started reminiscing and his stories have been a bit surprising. Transporting Chinese...etc.
That sounds amazing. I wonder if he has written any of this down . . . ? Do you know what campaigns he served in?
what amazes me is that he has started reminiscing about it. My dear Dad, now gone, avoided talking about combat in WWII . did the ole change the subject thing. so maybe your Dad is coming to terms with what was.
I'm not sure why my Dad has started reminiscing... I assumed it was because he can no longer share stories with siblings, wife, or close friends. I've always avoided questioning any vet (WWII, Vietnam, Afghanistan) about combat. Some have shared what I considered TMI, but not because I have asked for the info.
I'll try to remember to elicit more details the next time I visit. (But no "heavy" stuff.)
Much of important US history is not even taught in schools today. I feel a connection to the generation that fought in WW2 as I had 4 uncles that saw active service. They were in Air Force, Army, and Navy. At one time 3 of them were missing in action. I'm sure it was hell for my grandparents during that time. As it turned out they all came home but none of them were ever the same.
To change the subject, who remembers Texdav, the poster who typically had a high number of typos in his posts, although the content was very reasonable? It occurred to me that I haven't seen any posts by him recently, so I looked him up and his last post was in October. If you click on his user name, the option to send a direct message does not appear. Makes me wonder if he died or became incapacitated. Sobering thought. We sort of get to know people here, their attitudes, their beliefs, their values, and it's sad to think someone may be no longer with us.
To change the subject, who remembers Texdav, the poster who typically had a high number of typos in his posts, although the content was very reasonable? It occurred to me that I haven't seen any posts by him recently, so I looked him up and his last post was in October. If you click on his user name, the option to send a direct message does not appear. Makes me wonder if he died or became incapacitated. Sobering thought. We sort of get to know people here, their attitudes, their beliefs, their values, and it's sad to think someone may be no longer with us.
Thanks for picking up on this. I wonder what happened. We had a longtime poster on another retirement thread who was a great poster and suddenly last year she disappeared and there's no way to contact her. The best hope is that they've gotten so busy they no longer have time for CD. What makes me think this is that the DM function would still probably be working even if they're done with posting.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
