So I'm in a small bookstore late in the afternoon, mindful of the significance of the date in American history, and a local author is there. His book is about the Bataan Death March, a result of the first engagement (he tells a group of friends and those interested) between the Japanese and American forces after Pearl Harbor. His book is based on the "diary," actually scraps of paper, kept by one of the survivors of that horror.
And I'm listening, and suddenly I'm wondering: 50 or so years from now, will Iraqis similarly gather, and will "Abu Ghraib" have the same resonance as "Bataan"? Will they shake their heads and mutter darkly and wonder about the inhumanity of "the enemy" from 50 years ago?
And what will we say then?
Dear Robert,
ReplyDeleteI was so pleased to learn that you started a blog! You are a wonderful writer, and I enjoy reading your words. I will check in every day. Thanks for the inspiration and the insight!
And if you would like to exchange bread or cookie recipes, let me know. I have a marvelous cherry bread recipe, delightful for a Christmas brunch. Peace, my friend.
Congrats on the new blog! I automatically bookmarked it.
ReplyDeleteI'll come by later with a great big poinsetta...
Welcome, Robert! I look forward to reading your stuff regularly.
ReplyDeleteWe will say that we are ashamed. That it was a dark time in our history.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, in sixty or so years from now, we will even have in place some way of preventing a repeat of all this? One can only hope.