My respect for you, Mr. King, just went up several notches.

But, it still won't keep me from slamming you for being a
motorboater.

CN

"DSK" wrote in message . ..
Thom Stewart wrote:
Thanks Group,

Dec.,7th, 1941 was the day that Branded my generation. Us Old Timers
vowed to make the bad things in our world better. We thought we did.
Trouble with living so long, is seeing that we created other problems.
SORRY

Thanks for Rememdering Pearl Harbor!

Thank YOU, Thom!

A few years back I met an old man in an airport. We were both waiting
for flights. This fellow was wearing a Navy ballcap that said "BB-37 USS
Oklahoma" across the front. I went over and introduced myself as a Navy
vet. We chatted politely for a little while.

His daughter, who was traveling with him, prompted me to ask him about
Pearl Harbor. He said it didn't bother him to talk about it, and he was
on the Oklahoma that morning.

For those of you who don't know much about the attack on Pearl Harbor,
here is a brief summary- the carriers, obviously the highest priority
targets, were elsewhere... that left the battleships sitting in a row,
obviously the biggest prizes.

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/e...hbr/ph-bba.htm

The USS Arizona went down, a few anti-aircraft guns firing defiantly,
but she was a blazing wreck with 2,000+ casualties. The USS Maryland was
hit hard and it took almost 2 years to repair her. The USS Oklahoma was
hit almost as hard as the Arizona, and capsized in her berth. Hundreds
of men were trapped inside.

My acquaintance at the airport was one of those men. He said, "You've
been in damage control training, so you can imagine what it was like."
Actually, I could barely picture it, and still get cold chills thinking
about it. Absolutely dark, locked in a small metal compartment filled
with loose equipment, filling up with oily water. He said, "I honestly
don't remember most of what happened... probably a blessing. I woke up
in the hospital."

This is day for remembering & honoring all who have made a sacrifice for
this country, and for our freedoms.

Sincerely
Douglas S. King ex-BT1(SW)