~ Missing Words ~

A MESSAGE FROM AN APPALLED  OBSERVER:

Today I went to visit the new World  War II Memorial in Washington, DC I got an unexpected history lesson. Because I'm a baby boomer, I was one of the youngest in the crowd. Most were the age of my parents, Veterans of "the greatest war," with  their families.  It was a beautiful day, and people were smiling and happy to be there.  Hundreds of us milled around the memorial, reading the inspiring words of Eisenhower and Truman that are engraved there.

On the Pacific side of the memorial, a group of us  gathered to read the words President Roosevelt used to announce the attack on  Pearl Harbor:

Yesterday,  December 7,
1941-- a date which will live in infamy--the  United States of  America was suddenly and  deliberately attacked.

One elderly woman read the words  aloud:

"With confidence in our armed forces, with the  abounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable  triumph."

But as she read, she was suddenly turned angry.   "Wait a minute," she said, "they left out the end of the quote.. They  left out the most important part.  Roosevelt ended the message  with  "so  help us God ."

Her  husband said, "You are probably right.  We're not supposed to say things  like that now."

"I know I'm right," she insisted.  "I  remember the speech."  The two looked dismayed, shook their heads sadly  and walked away.

Listening to their conversation, I thought  to myself,Well, it has been over 50 years she's probably   forgotten"

But  she had not forgotten.  She was right.

I went home and  pulled out the book my book club is reading --- "Flags of Our Fathers" by  James Bradley. It's all about the battle at Iwo Jima . I haven't gotten too far in the book.  It's  tough to read because it's a graphic description of the WW II battles in the Pacific.

But right there it was on page 58. Roosevelt's speech to the nation ends in  "so  help us God."

The  people who edited out that part of the speech when they engraved it on the  memorial could have fooled me.  I was born after the war.!  But they  couldn't fool the people who were there.  Roosevelt's words are engraved on their hearts.

Now I ask: "WHO GAVE THEM THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THE  WORDS OF HISTORY?

Tags: So help us God!