Dear editor:
On Dec. 8, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt, responding to the Japanese surprise attack on America (Pearl Harbor), speaking to Congress and to America, told us that Dec. 7 was a day "which will live in infamy." The Japanese had torpedoed American ships on the ocean between San Francisco and Honolulu, and they also attacked Malaya, our forces in Hong Kong, Guam, Philippine Islands, Wake Island and Midway. This resulted in World War II.
The American people actually loved our country back then. We were taught to love it. It was "God and country." We were taught at home and at school to love God and country. We raised the flag in the schoolyard every day and brought it in at the end of the day. If it began raining during the day, we brought the flag inside. We had a devotional -- a Christian devotional with the Holy Bible -- every morning and a prayer before lessons. And, we sang "America."
Of course, our children and grandchildren never experience these acts of devotion -- unless they are in Christian schools now -- because we are so ... fair. However, we make concessions for people who are not Christian and not American but, woe be teachers -- if there were any -- who would attempt such, not to mention having a brief Christian devotional at the beginning of the day based on the teachings of the Holy Bible.
I recently saw on TV public schools who are allowing children of other faiths to pray -- even on their knees to their god. Of course, we must be very careful to not influence these children, even though the last thing Jesus told us before He returned to His Father was to " ... go and make disciples."
Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, my Dad decided to join the Army. He was strongly patriotic, as were his siblings and my Mother. His younger brother, Bill, also joined and served as did his brother-in-law, Harmon Brasher, who served in Iceland. Harmon's two sons, Richard and Dan also served.
However, the Army's medical clearance process was such that they did not discover my Dad's stomach ulcer and he somehow forgot to tell them about it, so off he went to Basic Training where, after a few weeks, the ulcer kicked up big time and he got sent home. Not only he but others could have been greatly inconvenienced by his ulcer on the battlefield. However, he did everything he could, all his life, to support the military.
I've always been so very proud to have Richard Shofner as my father. He was a very great man. He wanted so much to be part of the greatest Army in the world.
Bettye Hoffman
Hot Springs
Editorial on 11/15/2017