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Correction: it makes it easy not to forget Pearl Harbor.

My parents wanted to name me Werner.

I am glad they changed their minds.

Erwin

Also remeber, Kasserine Pass, Fondouk, Salerno,Cassino, D-Day, The Bulge and

over 400,000 that didn't come home. When we go to church on Christmass, think

of them. Roque

I received this letter from a new friend, the other day. Here is her personal account of that infamous day. Thank you for sharing your memories with me.

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PEARL HARBOR IN THE EYES OF AN ELEVEN YEAR OLD GIRL +

On December 7, 1941, a young girl was playing with paper dolls. She received these as a birthday present on Saturday December 6th. Her birthday was actually on the 15th. Now at 77 years old, I believe God knew that the 6th was the only day she could have had a party. No one knew that her life would be shattered by the radio announcement that morning saying that Pearl Harbor was bombed. On December 11, 1941, Hitler (Germany) and Mussolini (Italy) declared war on the U.S.A. It ended May 8, 1945. It was four long years.

I cannot recall all the details of that time span. I can only talk about what those times meant to me. For you younger people, it will seem strange to you. Television hadn’t been invented yet. You could not sit comfortably in a chair near the set and look on a screen to watch the gory details of war right before your eyes. We depended on the news casters to tell us what was happening.

As I consider those times, I will say what I personally remember. I really didn’t know what war was all about. All I know is that the young men and women either enlisted or were drafted to go into battle. First my brother Bud left to go into the Marines. A cousin joined the army. MY sister Mame soon joined the Waves because her boyfriend was already in the navy.

If you would like to know how everyday life was upset, you can find many items on the web.

Soon I was doing my part in the war by writing homey letters to the boys in the service. They needed that encouragement.

Certain food items became hard to get—like sugar, butter etc. Every day I went to the store to see if I would be lucky and find something. Families were issued ration books. We couldn’t buy without them.

I don’t remember much else about the war except that we had to do without a lot of things we had taken for granted. It was a tough and scary time.

Yet now I remember that there were a lot of War movies we went to see. There were a lot of good songs about when the boys would come home. It helped to get through those days. Now I wonder why we even had that.

Oh yes, we had practice blackouts in case of bombing attacks. To make sure of this I checked it out. That was in 1939. The U.S.A wasn’t in war yet but I guess we were expecting it.

There is so much I can’t remember. I do remember the exciting day when on May 8, 1945 people were excited and shouted joyfully in the streets when it was announced that the war was over. We were even allowed to get out of school that day.

War is so much different now. There are new and more dangerous weapons. One thing I understand now that I didn’t see then is that God allows it to happen. Man brings it on himself because of greed and power. The innocent suffer too because of these greedy people. We still must pray that many may be protected.

There are many stories of men and women who God has taken care of in miraculous ways. Those who die in battle (that knows Jesus) know where they will go. So sad for the families of the lost one but will one day join the dear loved ones if they also know the Lord. Pray that this will be so.

Just ramblings of an old lady who survived those dreadful days.

I pray if we have to go worse times than those, that God will protects us through it all or He will take us home before it happens. God bless you.