An Email From Grandma Criss on December 7th

Strange how you younger ones are only reading about Pearl Harbor in your history books, yet Grandpa and I lived during that event.  I must confess that, being a young country girl without hearing much news via radio (none by tv at that time), I was far from knowing what actually was going on politically, esp. overseas.  P.H. bombing happened on a Sunday morning and I remember going to school (9^th grade in Houston) Monday morning and the teachers were talking about the possibility of our country going to war.  There were lots of questions in my mind (and others) as to what that would mean, who would fight, etc.  The principal called an all-school assembly and as we sat in the gymnasium, we listened to President Roosevelt’s speech, and that war would be declared.  There was a sadness over all the school, mostly because we had no idea what this meant, and how it would affect us.  As you know, everyone was very patriotic in those days, lots of the high school boys were enlisting in the service, as well as our football coach.  Most of our after-school and evening activities were cancelled (or limited) as busses couldn’t run these extra trips (gas shortage, later rationing).  Throughout the war, the pins, banners, and slogans read, “REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR.”  That’s just history now; back then, it was reality!