Viewpoints
The Forgotten War
By Ronald Smith
February 01, 2007
Thursday PM
I can well remember the time of these attacks. I can see my daddy
sitting in front of the radio listening to the news of the Japanese
bombing Dutch Harbor. We went for months not knowing the well
fare of my brother, which was Abb Rufus Smith, after the raids.
I was 11-12 years old at the time and wanted to join the army
and help fight these aggressors.
Thanks for the article.
Ronald Smith
Coffee Springs, Alabama
Received February 01, 2007 - Published February 01, 2006
About: "I had a brother
on Dutch Harbor at the time of these attacks. This made a mark
in my memory of the attacks."
Related Story:
THE FORGOTTEN WAR: June 3, 1942 - August
1943 By JUNE ALLEN
- It was the summer of 1942. America had been at war since just
after the shocking Japanese sneak air attack on Pearl Harbor
Dec. 7, 1941, which temporarily crippled the U.S. Pacific fleet
and killed 2,300 Americans. Ketchikan mourned one of those casualties,
Navy Ensign Irvin Thompson, 24, son of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Thompson.
A graduate of Ketchikan High School, class of '35, Thompson was
lost in the sinking of the battleship Oklahoma. His death, the
first Alaskan serviceman casualty of World War II, brought home
the reality of war to his little Tongass Narrows hometown of
4,700 people. The entire population of Alaska at the time was
only 72,500! - More...
June 03, 2002
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