I Remember Townsend...

[liz_marcs]

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Errata: This post has been slightly altered from its original form. Please see the explanation here.It was the 50th anniversary of Pearl Harbor

Comments

[altyronsmaker]

Brilliant.

Do you mind if I print this for my class on Monday? I teach English to 10th graders. We also have a standardized test in FL (the FCAT) that for 10th grade focuses on Non-fiction. This is pertinent to their lives right now and with the tie in to WWII (we're covering a Japanese internment camp story next week) it's just perfect to get them interested in the lesson.

On a personal note: WONDERFUL story. I almost skimmed it, because of the length, but then read the last few sentences and HAD to read it. Thank you.

[liz_marcs]

Feel free to print up and copy. I think I finally fixed all the typos that are in it (there were a couple). And thank you for the honor of using this post. I hope it doesn't get you into to much trouble because of the different bits in it.

I'm glad you stopped to re-read. I was tempted to LJ cut it, but in the end I decided not to. I rarely don't LJ cut something this long, but, I dunno, I could find a good place to cut.

Addtional note:

[liz_marcs]

I had to correct the original post (typos and errors of fact).

FYI, this message is date-stamped on my computer as 10:37 p.m. EST

Keep personal politics out of the classroom please!

[altyronsmaker]

The FCAT focuses on non-fiction, not political opionions and liberal journalism.

[fufumira]

When I was in third or fourth grade, one of the grandfathers of one of my classmate's came to speak to us. He had been a rescue diver stationed in Pearl Harbor that day and he was angry. He was furious. Too many revisionists had been making things up about that day and he decided that the only way to stop it was to tell his story to anyone who would listen. This wasn't easy for him as he had spent years and years refusing to talk about his it. He talked about making dive after dive, trying to find someone alive... He talked about how peaceful it was just before and the ash and smoke and the bodies. I may have only been 10 or 11 but it changed my life. It was like being given this beautiful and important legacy. A responsibility to carry on with his story and to defend his story from those that would mistreat it or discount it. He said, "I'm fighting to keep them from mixing things up and making things up. The others that were there are fighting too, but one day soon, we'll all be gone, and then who will be there to say what did or

[liz_marcs]

Oral history is so amazingly important, isn't it? That generation is dwindling and they sure don't look at it as something out of the history books.

Marilyn also talked about the smell that hung over the base as the dead were recovered and the fear of disease spreading through the survivors who were still there. It's these details that seem to stick with them, and that's why it sticks with you.

My fear is that this rush to make 9-11 porn is going to screw the historical record permanently. People will believe something that's not true, or simply remain ignorant of the fact because they can't bear to watch. I honestly don't know the solution.

[omegar]

You have, as always, restored my faith in the individual.

Mass media is one of the worst thing that can exist for a democracy (right after first past the post electorial systems).

[liz_marcs]

Individual people are usually not the problem. It's when they get together and hysteria takes root. That's the problem.

As for mass media...it's a tough thing to balance. I think the real problem is entertainment masquerading as news. Giving the people what the want is not the same as giving them what they need. The profit issue is too tied up in news and I think that's where part of the corruption resides.

[nycorson]

Thank you.. I am sitting here with tears streaming down my face.. remembering many things.

I refuse to be afraid, I refuse to let anyone tell me I should live my life in fear because of the actions of others. This is why I fly, why I get so frustrated with all the "security" measures. This is why I make sure I am welcoming and friendly to anyone of middle eastern descent or who I know is Muslim. I will not judge a race or a religon by the action of fanatics. The only person I blame 9-11 on is the ones who flew the planes. We like to point fingers and blame someone, but everytime we allow someone to tell us what to fear and how to behave, we are the ones to blame.

I am not an activist probably never will be, but I know the only way to face fear is to look it in the face, and keep walking.

[liz_marcs]

Which is exactly the right way to put it. Spending your life being afraid never solved anything. The only way to get over the fear is figure out what happened and why, then learn from it. It's no guarantee that it won't happen again, but at least you're heading on the right path.

Thank you for reading this very long post.

[houses7177]

I know the only way to face fear is to look it in the face, and keep walking.

Very well said.

[sunnyd_lite]

I am not an activist probably never will be, but I know the only way to face fear is to look it in the face, and keep walking This is what bravery is about. And living, if done thoughtfully, is an act of bravery.

[a2zmom]

Thank you.

All of us need to remember that media spin is not the truth. We need to hear the unvarnished story from the source, it's the only way.

[liz_marcs]

It seems like it's too easily forgotten these days. It seems the questions I still ahave about what happened are the same questions I had on that very day.

There's just something wrong with that.