Remembrance Day
Today is Remembrance Day.
What do I have to remember? I was never in a bloody confrontation, I never stood on a battlefield, I don't know anyone who died there, I never lost a limb, I don't have shell shock.
I guess that is precisely why I should be thankful. That the sacrifices of many people a long time ago have given me and everyone I know a safe and secure existance with a strong economy and a happy future. I also, don't want to forget the suffuring and sacrifice that continues to happen in armed conflicts all over the world, many of which are in the name of our society.
If America was the "Arsenal of Democracy" during those times, the Bay area was the Arsenal's shipyard. The remnants still linger. Here is Moffett Federal Airfield that is right beside where I work.
What I want to talk about is the white building in the background. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the military decided it needed aircraft to patrol the Pacific for submarines and mines, and the Navy responded by restarting the ligher-than-air project with small blimps (246 feet in length). This building in the background was built in 1942 along with another to support a large traffic of blimps. These bimps helped keep secure the largest American port on the west. Also at this time, Jet airplanes were being developed that took off here.
The amount of military infrastructure that was created in the Bay Area during WWII was hailed as the "2nd Gold Rush" and the vibrant economy and culture left over are everlasting. An economy and culture that I am obviously taking advantage of.
What do I have to remember? I was never in a bloody confrontation, I never stood on a battlefield, I don't know anyone who died there, I never lost a limb, I don't have shell shock.
I guess that is precisely why I should be thankful. That the sacrifices of many people a long time ago have given me and everyone I know a safe and secure existance with a strong economy and a happy future. I also, don't want to forget the suffuring and sacrifice that continues to happen in armed conflicts all over the world, many of which are in the name of our society.
If America was the "Arsenal of Democracy" during those times, the Bay area was the Arsenal's shipyard. The remnants still linger. Here is Moffett Federal Airfield that is right beside where I work.
What I want to talk about is the white building in the background. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the military decided it needed aircraft to patrol the Pacific for submarines and mines, and the Navy responded by restarting the ligher-than-air project with small blimps (246 feet in length). This building in the background was built in 1942 along with another to support a large traffic of blimps. These bimps helped keep secure the largest American port on the west. Also at this time, Jet airplanes were being developed that took off here.
The amount of military infrastructure that was created in the Bay Area during WWII was hailed as the "2nd Gold Rush" and the vibrant economy and culture left over are everlasting. An economy and culture that I am obviously taking advantage of.
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