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At certain times of year I’m often preoccupied about people or places in my past.  In the very early spring (and sometimes winter), I have very specific memories of Asbury Park, NJ.  In the hot summers, I think about Camden and Bordentown NJ.  As August winds down to fall, I think about Glacier National Park, a particular rest stop on I-84 in Oregon, and Penndel, PA.

Times of year have me thinking about people, too.  I remember my grandparents all the time, but I especially think of my mom’s dad in August and my dad’s dad in early December.

Today is December 7th, Pearl Harbor Day.  For my family, that’s an auspicious day.  My grandfather was serving as a Boatswain’s Mate on the USS Nevada that morning.  The story actually has him in the shower at 7:48 AM local, which resulted in him fighting the first wave with just a towel.  In spite of hits from six bombs (at least) and a torpedo, only 60 men were killed. 

One random bomb hit resulted in boatswain’s whistles being scattered across the deck, of which my grandfather collected several.  I’m not sure who has them these days, but they’re among my aunts and uncles somewhere.

During the attack, he made at least one run under fire forward to the anchor lines to assist in getting the ship under way.  The Nevada was the only battleship able to get underway that morning.  She was still heavily damaged, and my grandfather was transferred to the USS Indianapolis to escort a convoy to Melbourne shortly after, thus missing the Battle of Guadalcanal.  From there, it was on to Adak to pilot crash boats for the army, and then back home to the Seattle area.

I think about these things today, and think about my generation.  We’re a pretty soft bunch; my grandparents fought the great wars of the last century, suffered privation in the Great Depression, and the country’s culture take a turn for the stupid in the 1960s and 1970s.  I worry very much about the pampered and complaining people my age (I’m 31) if we’re faced with crises of similar magnitude.  People have compared December 7th with September 11th.  I kind of laugh about that; after Pearl Harbor, the nation woke up.  After September 11th, nothing changed.  We don’t even know who to fight, and when we do fight, we’re ready to quit within months. 

I hope I’m tough enough; I hope that if we can keep our past in our minds, we can help prepare for challenges in the future.  I hope my children can remember these things, and that it will help them be tough too.

*Family, if you see any points I’ve missed above, don’t hesitate to correct.  I wrote this from my memory, which is not always perfect.