He knew better

Though it was a day that will live in infamy, I heard nary a word about Pearl Harbor yesterday; I guess like most of our history, Pearl Harbor is far enough removed from the present that only every 5th anniversary is considered noteworthy. This is understandable. There is little need to remember, say, the 78th anniversary of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act. Watch out for that 80th, though; bathtub gin for everyone. With any luck will be in a depression by then as well. Whee.

Some events however should transcend these unwritten observance rules. Like, say, Pearl Harbor. Perhaps that's just me. Certainly, it's worth more than a mention every five years and some Michael Bay explod-o-rama craptacular with Ben Affleck. Affleck?!?! It's pretty bad when a flick with a sci-fi-ish bend (The Final Countdown) is a better history lesson about the event than the titular movie. Hollywood can't even make quality jingoistic flicks anymore.

Speaking of movies, that's exactly where my grandfather was on December 7, 1941. He was already in the army at that time and his company had taken in the matinee in Columbus, Georgia (I forget the movie) when the military police rushed in, announced what had happened, that all R & R had been cancelled and that all were to report by to base immediately. Buses were parked outside ready to take them back to Ft. Benning. No refunds or rain checks were offered.

I can't be sure, but I suspect the Germans and certainly not the Japanese were much on my grandfather's mind that Sunday when the lights in the theater dimmed. By the time he left his seat, though, he was an active-duty soldier during wartime, unsure if he would ever see his home again.

Life can change quite drastically rather quickly.

Usually when one least expects it.