I was 7 years old when Pearl Harbor was bombed. I remember my parents and grandparents sitting by the big radio listening and not saying a word. I can still hear the voice of Franklin Roosevelt as he told about what had happened. I really didn't understand what was going on. My mother's brother was in the Seabees and stationed in Hawaii. He spent the remainder of his military career in Pearl Harbor after that infamous day, cleaning up the "mess". Only recently he talked to me a little about his military career. I hope to get him to tell me more one day soon. He talked some about how horrible the aftermath was.
We had a big Philco radio that was about 3 or 4 feet tall, and sat on the floor. I remember trying to get behind it to see if there were people inside! It was battery operated and the batteries were huge, and very heavy. We didn't play the radio very long at the time. It was for listening to the news of the war and pretty much our only means of communication with the world outside Elba, Alabama.
On Saturday nights, neighbors would gather at someone's home and listen to the Grand Ole Opry. The children would lie down on pallets on the floor and fall asleep while adults listened to such favorites as Lew Childre, Minnie Pearl, Roy Acuff, and many others. Hank Williams was another favorite. I remember once he came to our school in the country for a concert. He was so drunk they had to help him up on the stage and he kept staggering around while trying to sing. I never wanted to see or hear him again. I was so disgusted. He died when I was a freshman in college at Troy. I remember it was a cold rainy morning when someone came to class and said he had just learned that Hank Williams had just died. Somehow I didn't feel too sorry for him! Maybe because of Hank Williams and his character, I have never been a fan of country music.
