{"id":3282,"date":"2018-12-07T08:52:17","date_gmt":"2018-12-06T23:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nedforney.com\/?p=3282"},"modified":"2019-12-07T21:36:58","modified_gmt":"2019-12-07T12:36:58","slug":"remembering-veterans-and-families-pearl-harbor-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nedforney.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/07\/remembering-veterans-and-families-pearl-harbor-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Work, Fight, Sacrifice!"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\"December\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t

On December 7, 1941, a day that would live in infamy, Pauline Peyton Forney, a mother of three, including a son who was serving in the Marines, knew her life was about to change.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

With over 2,300 Americans dead, more than a thousand wounded, and the US Navy\u2019s Pacific Fleet crippled, President Roosevelt would soon be telling his fellow Americans that the United States was at war.<\/p>\r\n

Over the next four years, millions of Americans would fight for democracy and freedom around the world. More than 400,000 would make the ultimate sacrifice.<\/p>\r\n

Sacrificing For Family and Country<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

From 1941-1945, Pauline – and every individual, family, and community across America – endured unimaginable hardships and sacrifices. No one went untouched by the events unfolding on the battlefields, invasion beaches, and bombed-out cities of Europe, North Africa, and Asia.<\/p>\r\n

With her first son<\/a> soon deployed to the Pacific as a Marine, her second son joining the Army and heading to Burma, and her daughter married to a Marine fighter pilot, Pauline\u2019s story was typical of countless women who had loved ones fighting and dying around the world.<\/p>\r\n

\"Marines

Marines at Bougainville, where Pauline’s eldest son, Edward, fought (PC: USMC)<\/p><\/div>\r\n

Contributing to the war effort in any way they could, American women across the nation served in the military; worked in factories and shipyards building tanks, planes, and ships; and motivated their families and friends to stay strong and unified.<\/p>\r\n

They kept the faith and insured that America\u2019s young men<\/a> had the support, prayers, and inspiration they needed during civilization\u2019s darkest days.<\/p>\r\n

Simply\u00a0 put, these courageous, hard-working, and patriotic women\u00a0played a key role in the allied victory.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Rosie the Riveter<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

Pauline, who had lost her husband to a heart attack in 1944, followed daily news reports of battles in the Pacific, all the while hoping she didn\u2019t get an official telegram or visit from the military. <\/p>\r\n

Like most women of the greatest generation, she knew the meaning of sacrifice. She had lived through the Depression and had raised three children during those difficult years.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

But she never felt sorry for herself. Instead, she did what millions of other women did during World War II. She immersed herself in the war effort. At the age of 62, she became a \u201cRosie the Riveter<\/a>.\u201d Working double shifts at a plane factory, she spent as much time as she could with her fellow workers. It took her mind off her boys overseas and gave her pride in being part of America’s effort to defeat fascism and tyranny.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

\"Women

Women working at an airplane assembly during WW2 (PC: Library of Congress)<\/p><\/div>\r\n

Answered Prayers<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

And when Pauline wasn\u2019t working, she was writing and praying. She wrote hundreds of letters to her children, grandchildren, and friends.\u00a0She seemed more concerned about others than herself.\u00a0A devoutly religious woman, she also went to church daily.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Her prayers were answered on August 15, 1945. The news that all Americans had been waiting for had finally arrived. The war was officially over.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Pauline’s sons eventually returned the States and continued serving their country. Her son-in-law, however, wasn’t as lucky. Just weeks before the war ended, his Corsair malfunctioned and plummeted into the ocean. His body was never recovered. <\/p>\r\n

By 1945, Pauline\u2019s life, her daughter\u2019s life, and the life of every American had changed forever.\u00a0The United States had also changed. It was now the world\u2019s leading superpower and economy and would soon be spending billions of dollars to rebuild Europe and Japan.<\/p>\r\n

\"Women

Women celebrating the end of WWII. (Photo credit: National Archives)<\/p><\/div>\r\n

We, Too, Will Prevail<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

With social media sites and news outlets frequently talking about America\u2019s 21st<\/sup> century problems and predicting the decline of a once-great country, it\u2019s easy to think we\u2019ve lost our grit and no longer have the ability to overcome hardships and challenges.<\/p>\r\n

But we haven\u2019t. If we look back on history and remember those who went before us, we, too, will \u201ckeep our heads when all about us are losing theirs”. . . and prevail.<\/p>\r\n

As we commemorate the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and pay tribute to all the men who died on that fateful day, it\u2019s also appropriate that we honor all<\/em> American veterans who fought in WWII and those who supported them. We owe you so much.<\/p>\r\n

Postscript<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

Pauline Forney died in 1985 at the age of 103. Her Marine son retired as a Brigadier General and died in 1965; her Army son retired as a Colonel and died in 1991; and her daughter remarried, had five children and passed away in 2000.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\"Pauline\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\tPauline Forney in her eighties. The portrait of her son, Col. Edward H. Forney, USMC, can be seen hanging proudly in her apartment. (PC: Ned Forney)\r\n\t

Top\/Feature Photo:<\/strong> “A Day That Will Live in Infamy” (Photo credit: NY Times)\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\t