AIR MAIL

[crazyphil]

When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, we lived in a tiny little
town (Population 51) out in the boondocks of eastern Idaho. A
little plane flew over and dropped leaflets informing us that we
were at war.

I was six at the time, in love with my first grade teacher, Helen
Thomas. She resigned immediately and joined the WACS. The
Women's Army Corp.

Of course there wasn't any 24 hour news channels on TV then.
Heck, there wasn't even any TV. We had a battery powered
radio, so only listened to news on Sunday evenings. My mother's
little brother Davey, was on the battleship U.S.S. West Virginia,
so of course my mother was distraught when she heard it was
one that got bombed.

Weeks later we got the news that Davey was enroute home for
a Christmas furlough, somewhere between Hawaii and San Francisco.
When he got to San Francisco he had to do a quick
180 and head back to Hawaii.

It's kinda amazing the way news is now compared to how it was
back then. If no news is good news, would all the news we have
now be just the opposite?

I might have posted this story before. If you read it before,
sorry, that's how we old guys are.

 

[old bear]

The reporting of what now passes as "news" is no longer considered a public service by the mass media outlets but as another profit center.

 

[Onomea]

I’m amazed that Helen Thomas was your first grade teacher!

Helen Thomas - Wikipedia

 

[crazyphil]

I’m amazed that Helen Thomas was your first grade teacher!

Helen Thomas - Wikipedia

Probably not the Helen Thomas you are thinking about.

 

[Jessie]

These days it’s not news unless it’s bad.
Thanks Phil, great little story there.

 

[Oracle]

Excellent post Phil! I did 20 years in the U. S. Coast Guard, when my ship was in the middle of the Atlantic or Pacific oceans or in the Bering sea our radio room got news updates from the armed forces via teletype. Several copies were made and posted around the ship. We loved it, we had an idea what was going on in the world.

Nowadays we seem to be awash in news.

 

[Absalom]

It’s seductive to glorify the past in hindsight.

If you asked someone back then whether they were happy to wait for several weeks to find out whether a brother or son was dead or still alive, or if they’d prefer to find out right away, I doubt very much that the answer would have been “Oh, no rush, we love the slow pace of these good old days” ....

Like people at all times including today, back then folks simply lived with the technology, including communications, that was available.

 

[ACORN]

Probably not the Helen Thomas you are thinking about.

I hope not!!

 

[rwsmith]

Don't you mean......

Excellent post Phil! I did 20 years in the U. S. Coast Guard, when my ship was in the middle of the Atlantic or Pacific oceans or in the Bering sea our radio room got news updates from the armed forces via teletype. Several copies were made and posted around the ship. We loved it, we had an idea what was going on in the world.

Nowadays we seem to be awash in news.

Don't you mean 'sunk'?

 

[jcelect]

When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, we lived in a tiny little
town (Population 51) out in the boondocks of eastern Idaho. A
little plane flew over and dropped leaflets informing us that we
were at war.

I was six at the time, in love with my first grade teacher, Helen
Thomas. She resigned immediately and joined the WACS. The
Women's Army Corp.

Of course there wasn't any 24 hour news channels on TV then.
Heck, there wasn't even any TV. We had a battery powered
radio, so only listened to news on Sunday evenings. My mother's
little brother Davey, was on the battleship U.S.S. West Virginia,
so of course my mother was distraught when she heard it was
one that got bombed.

Weeks later we got the news that Davey was enroute home for
a Christmas furlough, somewhere between Hawaii and San Francisco.
When he got to San Francisco he had to do a quick
180 and head back to Hawaii.

It's kinda amazing the way news is now compared to how it was
back then. If no news is good news, would all the news we have
now be just the opposite?

I might have posted this story before. If you read it before,
sorry, that's how we old guys are.

A story a lot like yours;
In a submarine with 140 other guys, submerged for 64 days, no radios -no computer emails - no tv - no cell phones - only a daily pamphlet from the radio shack! AND sometimes you got the radioman's version of the news!
Stories for weeks about how they caught Sasquatch, or ball game scores like "New York 12-7, Philly 3-8, St Louis 9-7"! One thing we learned fast was not to go aboard the tender after we tied up asking questions about the news!
Actually, thinking back, it was better than watching the news on TV today!
Not near as depressing as today!
jcelect

 

[Rudi]

If you want to feel better turn off your TV news for a week.

 

[PALADIN85020]

Today's news is not reported straight anyway. In fact, it's opinion, wrapped up in the disguise of news. The content of each news program is selected with bias in order to influence what you believe. It's also laced with innuendo, loaded words such as "crisis" instead of "disturbance," and "chaos" instead of "actively reacting," "discredited" instead of "unverified," "vastly over-rated" instead of "not agreed with by myself or those I hang with," "leading in polls" instead of "predicted by the polls conducted by the party that pays me and my network," etc., etc.

If you don't watch the TV you are uninformed. If you DO watch it, more often than not, you are misinformed.

OK, I got that off my chest. Now back to your scheduled programming.

John

 

[Absalom]

Today's news is not reported straight anyway....

It seems to be a universal affliction of old men to believe that what they criticize about today was better in the old days they (mis)-remember.

There is quite a bit of truth in your comments, but thinking any of this is new would be fake news ...

 

[MaricopaKid]

One thing we learned fast was not to go aboard the tender after we tied up asking questions about the news!
Actually, thinking back, it was better than watching the news on TV today!
Not near as depressing as today!
jcelect

My year aboard a sub tender helped to make me the great liar I am today!

 

[walkinghorse]

Heck, even the weather forecasts these days are confusing at best. Percentages of this or that, highs and lows of past, sun exposure dangers, air quality. Seems to better to look out the window, watch the clouds, ľisten for thunder.

 

[Dougaz]

As WWII broke out, my Mother lived in a small farming town in Southern Minnesota. When the news came out, my Mom and several of her girl friends packed up and all moved to L.A. so they could be near the action.

Plus it was thought that the Japanese would attack the Left coast.

 

[mckenney99]

Plus it was thought that the Japanese would attack the Left coast.[/QUOTE]

Just think, if Japan had taken California in WWII, it would be Japan's problem now.
Maybe we could have kept Iwo Jima and Japan could have kept California.

 

[old bear]

Just think, if Japan had taken California in WWII, it would be Japan's problem now.

As a native son and 30 + year resident of the one time Golden State. As much as I hate to admit it, you sir may well be correct.

 

[jcelect]

As WWII broke out, my Mother lived in a small farming town in Southern Minnesota. When the news came out, my Mom and several of her girl friends packed up and all moved to L.A. so they could be near the action.

Plus it was thought that the Japanese would attack the Left coast.

That's our gov't at work! They transferred any and all defensive forces, Naval & Air force, to the left coast and the U boats kicked the snot out of the Merchant Marines supplying Britain
jcelect