Sorry I missed this yesterday ....but ......this article was in this mornings Houston Barnicle. Thank you to the men and women who answered the call.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3508036.html

Forgotten hero becomes focus of Pearl Harbor Day at Pasadena High

By RUTH RENDON
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle, Dec. 7, 2005, 6:09AM

A school librarian's interest in a single name from a donated book has turned Pearl Harbor Day at Pasadena High School into a special celebration of a forgotten hometown hero.

School officials had no idea until recently that a graduate had been among those killed on Dec. 7, 1941, when the USS Arizona was attacked.

But earlier this year, graduate Charlie Martin donated a book — USS Arizona's Last Band: The History of US Navy Band Number 22 — to the school. The book, written by Molly Kent, tells about the band that performed on the ship.

Among the band's members was Robert K. Shaw, who graduated from the Pasadena school in 1940.

School librarian Jane Golenko gladly accepted the book from Martin, read it on a summer trip to Hawaii and found Shaw's name among those listed as having died 64 years ago today.

"It was one of the most moving experiences of my life," Golenko said. She put into motion a ceremony for Shaw, who was 19 when he died, and other Pasadena military veterans who died in action.

Today, a display is set up in the school's library that includes Shaw's class ring, school yearbooks, medals, the telegram sent to his family saying he was initially missing in action and numerous letters he wrote to his family, including one mailed Dec. 6 at 5 p.m.

The U.S. military returned Shaw's high school class ring to his family in the summer of 1942.

"This was a young man whose dreams were never fulfilled," Golenko said. "He was one of us."

After finding his name, Golenko, with help from her genealogy buff husband, Richard, tracked down Shaw's sister in San Antonio and a niece in Austin.

In his last letter to his family, the young sailor, known as Bobby, said a captain told the crew they might get the Christmas present they all wanted: to go home on leave.

"It's been a year now since I left," Shaw wrote his sister. "It seems more like a decade. Try to take care of your health. I hope (I do more than hope) that I will be with you soon."

About 15 hours later, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, killing 2,400 Americans and taking five of eight battleships out of commission.

"Everybody in the family was so proud of him," said Liz West, Shaw's niece. "That pride didn't come after he died. He was accepted in the Navy band out of high school. He was a guest artist with the Houston Symphony. He had to have been good."

His mother — West's grandmother — Edna Elizabeth Shaw, kept all his letters. When she moved into a nursing home, West's mother, Mary Francis, took the family keepsakes.

West now is the keeper of the memorabilia after the death of her mother in July.

Every Dec. 7, West and her sister, Robben East of Houston, would call their mother to make sure she was OK.

Shaw enjoyed life in the Navy. He enrolled shortly after graduating from high school and entered the Navy's School of Music.

From the Naval Training Station in Norfolk, Va., Shaw wrote his family saying, "I never felt better in my life."

He wrote of going into town (Washington, D.C) where he "saw Ford's Theater and the house where (President Abraham) Lincoln died. Couldn't go inside either one because it costs a dime."

In January 1941, he told his family in a letter that he hoped to travel to Corpus Christi with a Navy band. Each Navy ship had a band aboard.

He wrote, "There's no telling where the rest of the bands will go next May and November but believe me I hope I don't go to Honolulu or China or someplace like that. I would like very much to see the world, but I would like very much more to see all of you!"

In a letter dated April 28, 1941, Shaw wrote his family about volunteering for a function on a Saturday afternoon aboard a ship. After waiting for some time, Shaw said he finally summoned enough courage to ask who they were waiting for.

A captain told Shaw that "the old man" was going to be piped aboard. "Be sure and give him a snappy salute," he added.

Shaw thought the "old man" would be a rear admiral, and was surprised to see President Roosevelt. Shaw wrote that FDR was "within two feet of yours truly." He also said Roosevelt was in a wheelchair.

"He really had a hard time walking," Shaw wrote of the president. "I never realized he was so crippled."

Months later, Shaw was headed to Hawaii by way of the Panama Canal on a ship carrying 7,000 tons of ammunition.

According to a USS Arizona Web site, as part of the band on the ship, Shaw and the other 20 members would play the Star Spangled Banner every morning at 8. The Japanese attacked at 7:55 a.m.


Slim

Nice piece, thanks. It's good to remember today and what it means..a "day that will live in infamy."

you probably should have posted this is in the History section of the forum. If you post it in here you are likely to be bombarded with conspiracy theories on how FDR allowd Pearl Harbor to be attacked and how it was tour fault somehow that WW2 got started. OF course, it will all be well documented with thousands of web sites too.

anyway, good piece.

Thanks for reminding us of this special day.

For me it's beyond special. I've told my personal story before in depth so I'll just post a nutshell this time.

My oldest brother is one of the very few living survivors of Dec 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor.

He was stationed aboard one of the destroyers which took massive damage. That Sunday morning he had left the ship to eat at the base chow hall and it while he was off ship (as were a lot of his shipmates) the attack happened. He was extremely lucky that day.

He went on to finish nearly the entire 4 years of the pacific war while serving on several ships and seeing action in all the major campaigns -- Java, Solomons, Guadalcanal and the battles at Leyte, Marianas, Iwo et al.

In mid 1945 his ship took a direct hit from a kamikaze (Okinawa IIFC) on the number 1 gun mount. He was part of the 12 man crew that managed that 5-inch-38-cal mount and the only survivor of the 12.

He spent the remainder of the year in and out of hospitals getting put back together and of course was discharged which was pretty much a moot point as the war was drawing to a close at the time.

Needless to say, if he were to put on all his medals and ribbons, he'd make Idi Amin look like a boy scout.

We (my family) are all very proud of him and whenever I have a tough day going or things just aren't working out for me, I simply think back to what he must have gone through and suddenly things seem better.

Hope you enjoy my personal story and thanks for listening.

That's quite a story. Thanks for telling that.
my dad was also at Leyte. It's a small world isn't it?
Proud of him too.:)

That is a special story Limpdogg ........what an amazing life he must have had. Is he still alive.......??

Let me tell you how much I'd like to thank him.

My daddy was in France.


Slim

Originally posted by slim
That is a special story Limpdogg ........what an amazing life he must have had. Is he still alive.......??

Let me tell you how much I'd like to thank him.

My daddy was in France.


Slim

Yes, as I pointed out, he is still living.

Limpdogg?? That isn't what she said -- ROTF

*L* with ya dude.

Right On.


Slim

Originally posted by rendova
That's quite a story. Thanks for telling that.
my dad was also at Leyte. It's a small world isn't it?
Proud of him too.:)

As you should be -- the WW2 vets were a breed of their own and deserve a special thank you and prayer from all of us.

Originally posted by Lungdop Philing
As you should be -- the WW2 vets were a breed of their own and deserve a special thank you and prayer from all of us.

I do not wish to come across as attacking you Dop, just to preface. And- Ren, Dop, and Slim...I send thanks out to your relatives who have served in our nation's military, especially during wartime, certainly all veterans need to be honored and respected for their sacrifice, and a great many thanks are due to them. Words don't express the gratitude.

World War II was the largest conflict in the history of humankind. Affecting more people, in more places, for a massive period before, (of course) during, and long after the war. Tens and tens of millions fell by combat, disease, genocide, and other causes. Trillions of dollars went into the global war effort, and mighty powers fought over the Earthly chess board. It will never be forgotten.
This may just be me, but it seems the WW2 vets are held in higher esteem than veterans of other conflicts, either less important, less controversial, or less recent. This is most likely largely due to the fact that there were so many fighting in the Second World War so we have many vets, but they are passing on quickly and so remembrance is being given at any possible chance. Also, their conflict is the more prestigious and so chosen more than say...a Korean or Vietnam war vet, or someone in a smaller conflict.
Vietnam War soldiers had a higher propensity to be enlisted and re-enlisted by free will, and not drafted, in comparison with WWII soldiers. They also saw (on average) far more combat than a WWII soldier, and were overseas for a longer time...often in conditions worse than seen in WW2. Yet it is the Vietnam veteran, not the WWII veteran, that was spit on and "egged" upon their return, not insulted or abused by their countrymen they fought for, not villainized to the same extent, nor glorified to the same extent.

I suppose my point is that we should value all our veterans, such as our Vietnam vets especially, for their sacrifices and not have "special treatment" or "special labels". They all performed their service in their own way, and for that we should be grateful.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As for Pearl Harbor Day

December 7th....1941...a day, that will live...in infamy"- FDR, radio address

That day changed America, and the World. It showed us the horrors of war on the homefront, and something to reflect on.

what happened december 17th 1942?

Originally posted by Travh20
you are likely to be bombarded with conspiracy theories on how FDR allowed Pearl Harbor to be attacked

It is no "conspiracy theory" but a matter of historical record.

Originally posted by Travh20
what happened december 17th 1942?

Typo fixed, thanks for pointing that out.

Originally posted by Freethinker
It is no "conspiracy theory" but a matter of historical record.

Indeed Trav, there are a great many reasons why FDR did that, and there is evidence that he purposefully turned a blind eye on the assault, it mainly would serve as a catalyst to get his nation into the war in Europe while simultaneously allowing a campaign in the Pacific to begin.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Evakian
I do not wish to come across as attacking you Dop, just to preface.

Your opinion is always welcome with me Eva.

Also, their conflict is the more prestigious and so chosen more than say...a Korean or Vietnam war vet, or someone in a smaller conflict.

I would rather think their service was more understandable and accepted than let's say Viet Nam. There was never any doubt why were went to war in 1941 and never any doubt we would win. You can not make that case for either Korea nor VN.

They also saw (on average) far more combat than a WWII soldier, and were overseas for a longer time...often in conditions worse than seen in WW2.

Here I will disagree with you. In the case of my post, I clearly point out my brother did nearly 4 full years in some of the most dangerous conditions possible. Being hundreds or thousands of miles out to sea and under heavy combat fire or kamikaze attacks is something the Viet Nam vets never experienced. Those peope were truly on their own. There was no calling base commander to report you're under attack and send help. You were base commander and you had to get the job done yourself. And if all those John Wayne movies are anywhere near accurate -- the ground troops didn't have a picnic either.

I know because I was Viet Nam Navy and our task was off-shore bombardment, search and rescue and patrolling/delivering on the Mekong and Basac rivers up to Laos and Cambodia in support of Operation Sealords and such. And of course the many varieties of swift boat type duties. Not easy and pretty duty and certainly dangerous (operation Sealords had a 75% casualty rate) but a far cry from what the Pacific fleet endured from 1941-1945.

Yet it is the Vietnam veteran, not the WWII veteran, that was spit on and "egged" upon their return, not insulted or abused by their countrymen they fought for, not villainized to the same extent, nor glorified to the same extent.

It was a different time and a different feeling Eva. The 60's/70's was a time period where we as americans probably made a lot of mistakes and booing the troops is surely one of them (there wasn't really that much spitting) but OTOH we did a lot of good things those days too. I guess you had to live that time period to fully understand.

I suppose my point is that we should value all our veterans, such as our Vietnam vets especially, for their sacrifices and not have "special treatment" or "special labels". They all performed their service in their own way, and for that we should be grateful.

Agreed in general with this caveat ... all veterans deserve to be honored, but we must retain the freedom to distinguish between the wars and understand the philosophical differences that those time changes brought along with them.

Originally posted by Lungdop Philing
Your opinion is always welcome with me Eva.

:) Likewise

I would rather think their service was more understandable and accepted than let's say Viet Nam. There was never any doubt why were went to war in 1941 and never any doubt we would win. You can not make that case for either Korea nor VN.

Granted.

Here I will disagree with you.

Well, I used that statement to point out that 'Nam were being more, this may be the improper term, "patriotic" by signing up more. They also on average saw much more combat annually and were there often for years longer than the average WWII soldier. As for the conditions, that is of course debatable, but for the terrain, supplies, combat conditions, etc...that would probably be conjured up.
Not to make WWII combat seem "lesser", but showing that the Vietnam campaigns were more burdensome on the volunteer troops.

It was a different time and a different feeling Eva.

Of course, those two decades were a tremulant period in our nation's history, where much bad was doled out by politics and events of the time, but a tremendous amount of good as well.

Understand Eva. Good conversation -- good thread.

vietnam was a one year tour of duty, WW2, you were in until you got killed or you won the war.

Good point trav.

I think that was one of my points up thread only I didn't put it across very well.

I'm not thinking straight today -- must be I'm still trying to adjust to being in San Francisco. :)