Friday, December 7, 2007

Remember Pearl Harbor !

His name was Friday, named after the day he was found and he was Robinson Crusoe's friend in a novel by Daniel Defoe and published in 1719.   

                friday-2.gif

 

Friday, the day, not the mythical character, has become a friend to everyone representing the beginning of the weekend and some well deserved recreation. But, let's take time today, before the normal weekend celebration, to remember Pearl Harbor, and the soldiers and civilians who were killed and wounded defending against a sneak attack by Japan.

Sixty-Six years ago, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on this date in 1941, sinking or damaging 21 ships. They destroyed 188 aircraft and damaged another 159. More importantly, they killed 2,403 soldiers and civilians and injured 1,178 others. The following is an excerpt from the Naval Historic Center - Department of the Navy:

On 8 December, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed the Congress to ask for a declaration of war against Japan. Referring to December Seventh, 1941, as a "day that shall live in infamy", he gave the Pearl Harbor attack its most famous and enduring title. Within a few days, Germany and Italy had declared war on the United States. Even before the President's speech, Americans were flooding recruiting offices to try to join the Armed Forces. For those already inthe Service, the formality of war was now present, though for most, the grim reality of the experience was still well in the future.

The United States declared war on Japan on December 8th, 1941 and later dropped the atomic bomb on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, ending World War II. Since the birth of this great nation, people have been killed, maimed and injured in its defense. Please take time today to include all soldiers and civilians alike in your prayers.   

The Pictures: Some of today's pictures are of the attack on Pearl Harbor from the Naval Historic Center. I've also included some other relevant pictures.

This Date In History: 1787; Delaware is the first state to ratify the Constitution. 1917; The United States declares war on Austria-Hungary. 1941; The Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 1972; Apollo 17, the sixth and last of the Apollo landing missions, is successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Birthdays: Johnny Bench, professional baseball player (1947), Tom Waits, American singer, songwriter and actor (1949), Larry Bird, professional basketball player (1956).

The Hits Just Keep On Coming:

A man wanted an attack dog to protect his business, so he visited a kennel that specialized in attack dogs. The man explained to the kennel owner that he wanted the biggest, meanest, most vicious dog in the kennel, and the owner offered to take the man on a tour of the premises.

After they had been walking for a few minutes, they came upon a large dog. He was snarling loudly and biting and clawing at the cage. "He looks like he'd be a pretty good attack dog," said the buyer. "Well, he's not bad," replied the owner, "but I have something better in mind for you."

They continued walking around the premises, and after a while they found an even larger, meaner dog than the first. He snarled at the two men and tried to bite them through the wire on his cage. "Ah," said the buyer. "This must be the dog you were referring to earlier." "Well, no," said the owner. "I have something better in mind for you."

The men continued their tour. Eventually, they came upon a fairly large dog that was lying quietly on his side, licking his butt. He did not seem to notice as the men approached.

"This is the dog I had in mind for you," said the owner. The buyer was flabbergasted. "You're joking!" he exclaimed. "This dog seems quite tame. He doesn't act at all like an attack dog at all. Hell, he's just lying there, licking his butt!" "I know, I know," said the owner. "But you see, he just ate a lawyer, and he's trying to get the taste out of his mouth."

A guy goes over to his brother's house, all bruised and his clothes torn. His brother says, "Man, where have you been?" The guy says, "I just got back from burying my mother-in-law," His brother asks, "How did you get all bruised and your clothes torn from burying your mother-in-law?" The gut replies, "She wouldn't lie still!"

That's it for today my little tree-trimmers. Have a great and safe weekend and more on Monday.

Stay Tuned !

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your pictures of Pearl Habor and 9-11

Anonymous said...

Are you a beliver in the moon landings?
http://journals.aol.co.uk/acoward15/andy-the-bastard/

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the reminder. Sometimes we forget the reasons for dropping the atomic bomb and since most of us were not around during that time, we do not understand about ALL the stuff going on in the world. It's a wonder we have thrived, isn't it? I've often wondered what Roosevelt would say about our current war conditions.

Hope Friday went well and you made up for missing out on Area 51 on Wednesday.

(((Jimmy)))
Jackie

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the reminder and the tribute. My Dad is a WWII veteran, and he joined right after he graduated from high school. Three of his brothers also joined, and amazingly, they call came back safely. They were truly a special generation. (Happily, my Mom and Dad are still with us!)

Beth