I don't much like writing about serious things. People tend to get a little rancorous at times, and that takes the fun out of most serious discussions. Assuming none of us here are so inclined to stir up hate and discontent I will share an anecdotal account of how I came to join the Marine Corps.

In the waning days of September, 1941 my family was gathered around the dining table enjoying some after dinner conversation and the subject of that conversation was the Japanese 'Sphere of Influence' in east and southeast Asia and the west and southwest Pacific. If you are not acquainted with that term it is the major tenet of Article VII of the Agreement of July 1, 1990 between Great Britain and Germany divying up East Africa between those two nations. The problem with the Japanese "Sphere of Influence' was that it was imposed unilaterally and by a nation of funny looking little yellow men. Read up about it. The archives of your local newspapers are replete. (1935/41) It makes fascinating reading.

In the middle of that conversation I benignly asked my mother "When war starts with Japan, can I join the Marine Corps?" Please note that I said "WHEN," NOT "IF." Nobody, not politicians, not military leaders, not FDR, not mediots, not even your Aunt Alice, believed that war with Japan was avoidable. The problem was that everbody assumed that when that day came Troop 37 of the Boy Scouts of America could whip the Japanese in about a week and a half. The question was not If?, it was When? and Where? And Hawaii, with its military installations and home of the Pacific Fleet was an unlikely place for it to start. I know that there are those among you who will dismiss my assertion of the inevitability of the war as the product of my imagination, or obsession or because I am a communist or a member of the Birch Society, or whatever. But remember, I have an advantage over most of you: I was there. And Oh, yes.....in answer to my question my Mother said "ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!"

I had some other motivations for wanting to join the Marine Corps aside from the desire to save civilization. I was sick of the depression and the desperate circumstances my father had to cope with to feed his family. Sick of never having a quarter to just piss away on a movie, milking cows morning and night to sell the god damn milk at 6 cents a quart to buy a three dollar second hand locket for a Mother's Day present. And then there was the fact that I was flunking French and Algebra and I couldn't face the consequences of that when my family found out. Yeah....at sixteen war looked like a pretty good deal to me.

And in addition to helping you escape death from monotony they even paid you thirty bucks a month. And all you had to do was be seventeen and get your Mother's permission!

Lacking it, on December 8, 1941 I ran away from home and forged some needed documents and presto!!!...I was a United States Marine. Six months later little yellow men were shooting at me, trying to kill me. Nothing personal, mind you. They just wanted to kill me. Five months later, on Gudalcanal, it did get personal and I decided I really didn't like those little sons-a-bitches.

Anybody that tells you thatt FDR ever conspired in the smallest way to encourage the Japanese to attack Pearl, or any other American territory, is full of bullshit! (And I'm no democrat)

By the way, Genda Minoru was not in favor of the Pearl Harbor attack, initially fearing there would be a much greater loss of Japanese Air strength and later, like Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku he felt that the raid would incite America's Military Forces to heightened efforts to seek revenge.

Spud