I'm kind of surprised their isn't a thread already started about this. Anyone else remember? 66 years ago today

What do you mean, anyone else remember? You sure as hell don't in the first place.

I was always under the impression Pearl Harbor wasn't a very happy day.

Well that was even before my time.

However, I always think of my parents telling us kids of how they were just coming out of the movie theater and the newspaper guy (The kid who'd yell extra! extra! selling special papers). Needless to say, they said how shocked everyone was. Like 911, and JFK assassination, they will always remember where they were at that moment.


TIS

Remember we had a thread with old family pictures? Because of that thread I asked my mother where she was when she heard about Pearl Harbor being attacked. She was wheeling my sister (who was about 6 months old then) in a baby carriage. As she was walking down the street she was singing to my sister. One of the homeowners heard my mom singing and yelled, "What are you so happy about? Didn't you hear the news"? My mom didn't know what this lady was talking about and the woman told my mom that it was on the radio that Pearl Harbor had been attacked.

Oddly enough, this was repeated in 1963. My sister, then married, was wheeling HER daughter (my niece was about 5 months old then) down the street in a baby carriage when she heard the news that Kennedy was killed.

In any event, its not a "happy" day, but its certainly a day to "remember".

A second cousin of my father died on the S.S. Arizona on that day of infamy. My father was 7 at the time, and was the second youngest of a large family. They didn't find out about the casualty for a couple of days.

JAPAN BOMBS PEARL HARBOR

MORE PEARL HARBOR

My grandmother's second husband was a POW. He actually wrote a short book about his experience. It's nothing that was ever published. Just something he gave to select family and friends. Too this day he hates to see people waste food. No one leaves the table until every crumb is finished.

Actually, I just looked on line and here is something about him. I never even knew it was there.

http://www.merkki.com/outmanbob.htm

I'm with Capo here. Although I don't believe that it was INTENTIONAL on Irishman's part, the title of this topic should not be one wishing people a HAPPY Pearl Harbor Day. There was nothing happy about that day.

DC,

Pretty powerful footage isn't it? Just think back then there was no tv to see these images on. I can imagine everyone was glued to their radios. Very chilling.

And Beth, how nice you found that link. It's amazing that even 7 people survived that plane collision. It's the true stories we learn from our relatives and friends, that add a sense of realness to many of these historic events, be it good or bad event. Memories to treasure for sure.



TIS

At least Happy Birthday to Don Vito...

The title of this thread was not intentional on my part but rather facetious. I apologize to those who were misleaded

We understand Fredoman12, they didn't know it was pop's birthday.

Nice touch DC

You wrote that title to be facetious? How could you make jokes about such a tragic event?

At least he didn't wish anyone a Happy September 11th.

I don't think he meant anything by it. Irish is a good boy.

I know Irish is a good guy, that's why I am so shocked!

I wasn't the one who originated the saying. I've had people say it to me in the past before, Happy Pearl Harbor Day. They don't do it as a celebration or with a smile as if saying 'Merry Christmas' but rather as a rememberance as so many people have already forgotten.

I asked a handful of people yesterday while at work (maybe 5) what was significant about yesterday and only ONE out of the 5 immediately said, it's Pearl Harbor day. I think people have just forgotten and at least in some of my circles, people say Happy not to be disrespectful (although I do so all of the arguments on here claiming so) but rather to remind people to never forget. Hopefully this won't ever happen on 9/11 but the Pearl Harbor attack was 66 years ago. Even people during that generation don't remember it. We watched PEARL HARBOR and TORA, TORA, TORA at work yesterday and customers kept asking what movie we were watching and why

Are you back at Blockbuster, Irish?

Yup, until I can find another job. I have student loan payments to begin making come February

Still, Irish, I'd look up "facetious" if I were you.

It's the way pop wanted it.

So your survey of a minute number of customers at a Texas Blockbuster led you to conclude that some people from the WWII generation don't remember Pearl Harbor? Bullshit of the highest order.

Most of the people from that generation who'd actually remember the attack are in their 80's now. While I bet they'd remember the significance of the date, I think they're not consciously aware of the days/dates now on a current basis.

As for saying "Happy Pearl Harbor Day", thats the biggest crock of doody I've read on these boards. Would you say "Happy 9/11 Day" every year???

It depends on what the incident's known as, which is relative to the situation.

The terrorist attack in which two planes flew into the World Trade Center happened on 11th September, and was coined by the Media as "9/11" so as to infect everyday speech and become a term in itself. (ie. "Post-9/11 society", etc.)

"Pearl Harbor" is known as such not because of the date, but because of how it was constructed for our usage by the Media (not just the news, I mean media of all kind, the modes of communication by which our lives are formed on a daily basis). Of course I know what "Pearl Harbor" the term relates to, what it represents (it's quite an abstract term in itself, a patriotic term which completely discards the Japanese and labels the event on American terms), but I think it's only natural for me not to know the actual date for it.

Of course, the Apocalypse won't have a date or a name, because nobody will survive it. And nor, because of that, will History. (There is no history beyond the human frontier.)

But yeah, Irish: definitely look up facetious.

Dunno about anybody else but I'm putting my hip boots on.

I agree, in part. Growing up the date "December 7" was a big exclamation point, and nobody overlooked it. It was made famous by Franklin Roosevelt's address on the following date. Roosevelt, more than the media, constructed how this date was regarded by Americans, who didn't live through the event. When he declared December 7, 1941 as a date that will live in infamy, he delivered the most memorable address from any president, except for Lincoln's Gettysburg Address (and Bill Pullman's speech to the fighter pilots in Independence Day)>

As there are fewer Americans, who lived through Pearl Harbor, and we become further removed from it in time, it's effect has changed although it still is observed. September 11 has a far more profound impact today, not only because of the large loss of civilian lives, but the wounds are still fresh from the attack.

Don't overlook, though, that Roosevelt's address was consumed via media, that he had speech-writers and the like too. It's still a construction, still a coin-phrase-cum-buzz-phrase which reduces the emotional, historical and political complexities to a mere word or two.

I don't understand the point you're trying to make, Mick.

That Roosevelt wasn't responsible for cementing "December 7th" as a memorable day.

At any rate, you're right - my point is by-the-by; Klyd made a good point about the date itself being more "famous" than it is now.