A day to remember

The year was 1939, and Alvin and I were starting first grade at St. Andrew’s Cathedral school; we became fast friends. Fast-forward to 1941, and it was customary for Alvin and I to go to one or the other’s house after Mass on Sunday to play. On this particular Sunday, we found ourselves together at Alvin’s house on South Louisiana and had just put down his electric train track and were racing the engine as fast as it would go without coming off the tracks. His parents had the radio on, and suddenly there was an interruption in the broadcast, and it was obvious to us it was serious.

It soon became clear it concerned a place called Pearl Harbor and was being bombed by the Japanese. I had no idea what Pearl Harbor was or why we should be concerned about it, but it soon became clear it was a big deal.

Before long, extras were printed and being hawked in the streets by newsboys. The newsreels in the movies and our two daily newspapers kept us abreast of what our Army, Navy, and Marines were up against. We, through our courageous military, were to see a successful and victorious end to what was World War II. We Americans could not have been more united or prouder of our country.

So what has happened in the intervening 80 years? A significant part of our population today appears to loathe and despise America and all that it has traditionally stood for. Our Constitution hasn’t changed, our rule of law hasn’t changed, our personal freedoms haven’t changed, our altruistic beneficence to people in need hasn’t changed, so why do so many loathe the flag and condemn those of us who respect and honor it as chauvinist flag-wavers? I don’t have the complete answer.

All I know is I experienced Dec. 7 firsthand, and I will always honor and respect the Stars and Stripes of the United States of America. Call me a jingoist if you will, but I for one totally believe in the intrinsic goodness of this country which the world has consistently witnessed time after time.

JAMES H. BARRÉ Little Rock