27 September, 2001 - 19:17 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Need To Re-read

It occurs to me tonight that there are spots in my mind that are blank and ignorant of history. I remember it was about 1937 or late 1936 seeing the military marching around on old Phipps Sanitarium property, which was where Lowry Air Field and its training center occurred. A gift of the City of Denver. Not too long after that about eight miles east, Buckley Field started in construction, I worked there for a short time until the company brass realized they had overhired and a bunch of us were laid off.

Which made me wonder just what is the back-history on things here. Pearl Harbor was December 7, 1941, if the book I have is accurate. I remember returning from a picture show and Mom and Dad telling me about it, I didn't then nor do I now keep a log book.

At that young age I figured I could read all about it in books. What I didn't count on is the variety of his-story there was and is to this day.

At the age of 16/17 if it didn't deal with girls, things just slipped on by me. But tonight I began to wonder just how much I missed in the newspapers of that day. I knew that Hitler was giving Germany hell, and sort of followed the attempts at appeasement in Europe and was aware that our involvement in the war in Europe could possibly follow

But it appears to me now on further thought that the President and Congress already were preparing to go to war and were trying to bring us up to speed and prepare us for war in Europe. Otherwise, why were an (what the heck did they call it then ?) Army Air Force training center and a Naval Air Station being built here that early in the game ?

It appalls me, my ignorance of the flow of prior happenings in the world. Yet I have my children's birthdates written down as a memory aid. Of course I know what year they were born, only Heather can recite the date, hour and minute that each our beloved children made their appearance into the world. Guess that I tend to live in the world of, "Now."

But the reconstruction of historical events by various groups and individuals is confusing. I remember reading how some of the American Indian children back then were shipped off to schools somewhere and made to wear clothing they were not used to, forbidden to talk in their native language, eat food they were not used to and proselyted to become members of the Christian religion. I also remember that Cowboys and Indians were the inevitable games we kids played, it was part of the mindset we picked up from relatives, parents and teachers. Yet, in recent years I have read how our countrymen in office had planned to force the "final solution" upon native citizens, but were talked into relenting by a religious group, and putting them on reservations and only conceded to do that when the plan was advanced to send them to god-awful spots the paleface wouldn't live. Which in many instances the Paleface came to want said land.

Comes to my mind the Black Hills of South Dakota where Indians were dispossessed when gold was discovered there. Wounded Knee is a recent bit of history. I think when oil as discovered in Oklahoma further tribal movement to a worse location happened also. Our 'four corners area' is about as unhospitable land that can be found in the United States, many tribes still live there. Guess Paleface hasn't figured out if he needs it or not.

The short of it I guess is, if our government was getting us ready for war prior to Dec 7 1941 referring to President Roosevelt's Quarantine speech of 1937 and the obviously the preparations before then taking place. I wonder, I really wonder what the history of 2025 will read and the revision of said history will read in 2075 ?

For now I will try to make sense of the past and I have a great Need To Re-read . . . . . . �

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