Of Windmills and War

by Diane Moody

  Craig sat up in bed. “What is that I smell?”

  “You mean the hamburger you left rotting on the floor or the spoiled milk on your desk?”

  “Neither. It’s turkey. And if I’m not mistaken, dressing as well.” He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “And I must say, it smells wonderful.”

  Danny shook his head at his roommate’s antics. “Mom sent me back with some leftovers.”

  Craig threw back his covers. “So, what are we waiting for?” He pulled on a robe and rubbed his hands together eagerly. “Well?”

  “Fine. Clear some room off your desk. Honestly, Gilmore, you’re a pig. Look at this place!”

  “Is this the part where I’m supposed to feel bad and rush around, picking up all the evidence of my pathetic lonely weekend?”

  Danny pulled a metal lunch box from the top of his duffel. “I could only hope.”

  “Look, McClain. Not everyone has the happy little home life you do. Some of us dread the very idea of going home.”

  “Yet you’re too proud to accept an invitation to come home with your roommate.” He pulled the wax paper wrapping off a sandwich piled thick with slices of fresh turkey. “Here, help yourself.”

  “No, I can’t take your sandwich.”

  “Take it before I change my mind. Besides, I’m not that hungry.”

  “In that case . . .” Craig grabbed the sandwich with both hands and took a mammoth bite out of it. He closed his eyes in obvious bliss. “Oh, this . . . this is—”

  “Fantastic. I know. Just save your comments and don’t talk with your mouth full. Here’s some dressing. You like cranberry sauce?”

  Gilmore nodded emphatically, motioning for his roommate to hand over the rest of the food. “Mmm-mmm-mmm.”

  “Yeah? Mom makes a pretty mean pumpkin pie. She sent half a pie with me, so save me some, will ya?”

  Craig mumbled something over a mouthful of dressing.

  “I think you asked where I was going?”

  Gilmore nodded.

  “I’m headed over to Bev’s. She was supposed to get in about an hour ago. There’d better be some pie left when I get back.” He shot a scowl over his shoulder which his roommate waved off as he forked another bite of cranberry sauce.

  As Danny descended the steps of his dormitory, he climbed back into his coat and wrapped the wool muffler around his neck. It felt good to be back. As much as he’d loved seeing his mom, he’d barely tolerated his father’s incessant lectures about “those idiotic Nazis” and “that maniac Hitler” over the course of his three-day visit. And what holiday dinner would be complete without a blistering session about “that irresponsible brother of yours working on his tan over in Hawaii.” As if Joey had nothing better to do than hang out on the beach. Danny wondered if his dad would ever give Joey credit for serving his country.

  Sophie had stuck to him like glue, dancing in circles when he first arrived. Her tail never stopped wagging from the moment he got home until he left on Sunday evening. If there was any way to sneak her into his dorm room, he would’ve done it. He’d missed her unconditional love and admiration. But in a strange way, he knew she kept his mom and dad company.

  Chilled to the bone, he raced up the steps of Beverly’s dorm and into the lobby where he stopped at the front desk to have her paged. A few minutes later, she stepped off the elevator.

  “Hey Danny.”

  He took in her pasty complexion, messy hair, and the pink bathrobe she was wearing over flannel pajamas. “You look awful,” he said, meaning it. When he leaned in to give her a hug, she backed up with her hands raised.

  “You don’t want to come near me. I’m sick as a dog. Must’ve picked up something.”

  “Hey, I’m sorry, Bev. Not a good weekend?”

  She blew her bangs out of her eyes. “I was sick from the minute I got home. I’ve just now stopped throwing up. I wanted to say hi, but I’ve gotta get back in bed. You don’t want my germs. Trust me. I’m just hoping I feel better tomorrow so I don’t miss classes.”

  “Poor baby . . . I’m so sorry. Go get some rest. I’ll check in on you after I get out of English tomorrow, okay?”

  It would be two more weeks before Beverly completely recovered. She spent most of that time in the campus infirmary, but she wasn’t alone. Twelve of her floor mates shared the same nasty flu bug. Danny was glad she’d spared him the germs, but he missed her, unable to visit her quarantined wing of the clinic.

  He stayed busy, going to class, studying and working as many hours as possible at The Grill. His roommate disappeared for days at a time, insisting he’d met some “heavenly goddess” who understood his needs. Danny just hoped she could convince him to make an occasional visit to class before he got kicked out of school.

  The first Sunday in December, on a brisk, beautiful afternoon, Danny had just finished his shift at The Grill when he noticed a crowd of students gathered around a radio in the lobby of Scott Hall. He was supposed to meet Beverly at the library to study together, but curiosity got the best of him. He slowly joined the crowd, pressing in to see what everyone was listening to.

  “I repeat,” the tinny voice on the radio said. “President Roosevelt said in a statement today that the Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii from the air. The attack was also made on all naval and military activity on the principle island of Oahu. We now take you to Washington.”

  Danny grabbed the arm of the guy next to him. “Did he say Pearl Harbor?”

  “Yeah. The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. It sounds bad. Really bad.”

  Danny stared at the guy as the sound of his own heartbeat started pounding in his ears. The picture postcard of the Hawaiian island of Oahu flashed through his mind. The same postcard where his brother had scribbled on the back how nice it was to be back in the islands . . . and something about the USS Oklahoma being docked on Battleship Row.

  Danny’s eyes slowly tracked back toward the radio.

  “The White House is now giving out a statement,” the reporter continued. “The President’s brief statement was made to Stephen Early, the President’s secretary. A Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor would naturally mean war. Such an attack would naturally mean a counter-attack. Hostilities of this kind would naturally mean that the president would ask Congress for a declaration of war—”

  “Danny!”

  He turned at the sound of his name and found Craig running toward him.

  “Danny, your mother’s trying to reach you,” he said, gasping to catch his breath. It was only then that Danny realized his roommate was wearing his maroon bath robe. “She called the dorm and they came to our room looking for you. They said she’s really upset. Did you hear the news?”

  “Mom?”

  Craig grabbed him by both arms. “Danny! Did you hear what I said?”

  “My mother called?”

  Craig steered him away from the crowd. “Buddy, you need to snap out of it. Your mom wants you to call her back. Obviously she’s heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor. You need to come with me back to the dorm so you can call her.”

  Danny ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, sorry. I must’ve—”

  “Doesn’t matter. C’mon.” Craig pulled him by the arm. “I need to get you back there.”

  Five minutes later, he dialed the hall phone to call home. It rang only once before his mother answered.

  “Danny, is that you?” her voice trembled.

  “Mom, I just heard. Have you heard from Joey?”

  “What? No, not yet. Oh son, I’m so scared. What if—”

  “Don’t say it, Mom. Don’t even think it. Listen, I’m coming home. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Where’s Dad?”

  “He’s on his way home. He cancelled the showings and locked the theater once he heard the news. Danny, he couldn’t even talk when I called him.”

  “Mom, take it easy. I’ll be home soon.”

  The two-hour commute from Evanston to his home in Chicago were the longest two hours of
his life. Over and over the images on that postcard kept dancing through his mind, and all of them covered in smoke. The chaos, the panic, the sounds, the smells . . . all of it horrible, beyond comprehension. He pushed every thought of what Joey might or might not be experiencing to the deepest corner of his mind, refusing to dwell on it. In the midst of all the outrageous thoughts bouncing around in his head, he knew with certainty that his life would forever be changed by this day in history. Whether it meant he’d be drafted to go fight the inevitable war, or whether his family would be reduced to just three, nothing would ever be the same.

  When he finally stormed into his house on Yale Avenue, his mother fell into his embrace.

  “Oh, Danny. Thank God you’re home. Thank God!”

  He held her for several moments, feeling her shake in his arms as she wept. Sophie jumped on him, excited in all the commotion. He scratched her behind the ears, then turned with his mother, keeping his arm around her as they walked into the living room. His father, seated next to the radio with his head in his hands, didn’t even acknowledge his entrance. Danny knew his dad was never one to show emotion—except for that night in the alley behind the theater. He knew his father would handle this situation in his own way. As they walked past him, Danny patted his dad on the back then took a seat beside his mother on the sofa.

  “All afternoon we’ve listened,” his mother began, wiping tears with her handkerchief. “It’s so frustrating because the radio networks keep going back to their regular programming. Why would anyone want to hear music or listen to a football game when our country has been attacked?”

  “Because they’re all idiots, Betty!” his father snapped. “I keep telling you. Those people have no idea what they’re doing. Bunch of imbeciles, the whole lot of them.”

  She ignored him, digging something out of her pocket—a postcard from Joey, its edges frayed. “I keep looking at this picture of this beautiful island.” She turned it over, holding it out with trembling hands for him to see. “Joey wrote that the entire Pacific fleet was stationed there in Hawaii. When I got this a couple of days ago, it didn’t even cross my mind how—” She looked up at him. “Why would they put all their ships in one place? I don’t understand. Why would they make such an easy target for the Japanese?”

  The same question had bothered Danny all the way home. Wouldn’t such a bold move arouse suspicion to American’s enemies? Especially the Japanese? Surely the military strategists had their reasons.

  “Because our president and the so-called military ‘geniuses’ have no idea how to fight a war,” his father bellowed as he got to his feet. “They play their ridiculous war games, sending those ships all over kingdom come, but when push comes to shove, they don’t have a single blasted clue what they’re doing! They might as well have taken our boys and just handed ‘em over to the Japs on a silver platter.”

  Suddenly he spun around, put one hand on the fireplace mantel and aimed his cane at Danny with the other. “If you ever get a lame-brain idea to join up and do like your brother, then you don’t ever come home. You got that? The day you join the military is the day I disown you.”

  “Frank! What a horrible thing to say!”

  “Stay out of this, Betty. I’ve lost one son. I’m sure as hell not going to lose another.”

  “Dad, we don’t know that Joey’s—”

  “Of course, we do. If he was alive, he would’ve called your mother by now. You know it and I know it.”

  “That’s not true!” Danny shouted, closing the gap between them. “He probably couldn’t get a call out even if he wanted to! After something like this? It may be days or weeks before we find out anything. So don’t say . . . if you can’t . . . just keep your mouth shut, Dad!”

  “Fine. Live in your fairy dream land. Think whatever you like. But the sooner you accept that your brother died in that attack today, the sooner you get over it.”

  Danny lost his temper, letting a string of expletives fly as he stood toe to toe with his father. When he finished, his chest heaved from the outburst as he stared into his dad’s darkening face. Dad narrowed his eyes as he clenched his teeth together, but he didn’t say a word. Finally, he hobbled off, cursing under his breath as he went downstairs to the basement.

  He turned to his mother who held a handkerchief over her mouth. “Mom, I’m sorry you heard that. I just couldn’t take it. Not now. Not when we don’t know anything yet.”

  She composed herself and gave him a hug. “Don’t mind him, Danny. You can’t let him get to you like that. He doesn’t know how to handle things like this. You know that.”

  “Yeah, so we all just keep making excuses for him? Wouldn’t you think after everything that happened to him, he would’ve learned something? If nothing else, to at least keep his mouth shut at a time like this?”

  “Hush, Danny. Let it go.”

  They listened to the radio long into the night, clinging to any special bulletin that updated the news coming out of Hawaii. Details remained sketchy, but there was no question about the overwhelming destruction at Pearl Harbor. Some reports mentioned ships already sunk in the shallow bay, others capsized. The loss of life would be beyond any of their imaginations.

  His mother had asked him to pray with her around ten. As they knelt beside the sofa, he listened as she poured her heart out, asking God to protect Joey and keep him safe through the night. Danny fought the nagging traces of his father’s earlier remark. The sooner you accept that your brother died in that attack today, the sooner you get over it. No matter what his father thought, Danny chose to cling to his mother’s faith. She trusted God to watch over Joey; so would he.

  Later, after his mother finally drifted off to sleep on the sofa, Danny heard the radio station sign off for the night. As the troubling images continued parading through his imagination, he too gave in to the fatigue and fell asleep.

  28

  11:30 Central Standard Time

  Chicago, Illinois

  December 8, 1941

  “Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. The United States was at peace with that nation, and at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with the government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleagues delivered to the Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack.

  “It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

  “The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. Very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

  “Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya. Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong. Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam. Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands. Last night, Japanese forces attacked Wake Island. This morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

  “Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

  “As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. Always we will remember the character of the onslaught against us. No m
atter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

  “I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again. Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

  “With confidence in our armed forces—with the unbounding determination of our people—we will gain the inevitable triumph—so help us God.

  “I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.”

  As the roar of applause punctuated President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s address to Congress, Betty McClain motioned for Danny to turn off the radio. Like most Americans, they’d waited anxiously that Monday for the president’s speech, needing reassurances and hoping to hear his declaration of war. They weren’t disappointed.

  Danny’s father had remained downstairs in the basement for most of the night, returning there after a silent breakfast the next morning served by his wife. After he disappeared downstairs, Danny and his mother listened to the ongoing radio broadcast. Earlier reports had already confirmed the massive damage of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. When the announcement was made that eight Navy battleships and more than 100 planes had been damaged or destroyed in the attack, Danny reached for his mother’s hand. The death toll, including military and civilians alike, was predicted to be substantial.

  “There’s to be a special church service at 1:00 this afternoon,” she said. “I think we should go.”

  “Sure, Mom. Will Dad—?”

  “No, I’m afraid not. I think it’s best we let him be. But when we return from the service, I want you to catch the El and go back to school.”