The first run
of the Pony Express took place on April 3,1860. In celebration of the release
of THE PONY EXPRESS Romance Collection, all nine authors have had some
fun writing blogs about what happened on this day in history.
We hope
you’ll enjoy our snapshots of this date down through the ages!
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Most people
recall the Japanese bombing at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. On that day,
my father was just coming back to his patrol boat from shore leave in Manilla
when he noticed everything in the bay was dark—lights out, everywhere. His
shipmates greeted him with news of the Pearl Harbor bombing. The U.S. was
officially at war.
The Japanese
found their new target the very next day—the Bataan Peninsula at Manilla Bay.
Bombs and bullets rained from the sky. I recall my father telling me it sounded
like popcorn popping, all of those bullets pinging against the ship. Can you
imagine what it felt like, knowing the invading forces wanted only one thing—to
kill you?
It wasn’t
until April 3,1942 that the Japanese ratcheted up their continued
attack. From nine in the morning until three in the afternoon, a 100-aircraft
bombardment “turned the Mt. Samat stronghold into an inferno” according to the
Chinese Daily Mail.
Ultimately
the Japanese took approximately 60,000 Filipino and 15,000 American prisoners
of war, leading them on the Bataan Death March where so many men died along the
way.
My father’s
naval unit had been moved to the nearby island of Corregidor, but received
daily bombardments. With the troops weakened by ration shortages and disease,
they knew it was only a matter of time before surrender. That day came about a
month later. They were sent on the same path as those before them, taken from
one overcrowded camp to another, treated harshly, put on a starvation diet and
pressed into forced labor, finally to survive a death sentence at the end of
the war only through liberation by Allied forces.
The men who
withstood the brutality of war were certainly heroes. They’re the kind of men
romance writers dream up: strong, brave, loyal, and willing to fight for what
they believe. My heart swells with pride knowing my father was one of them,
even as it twists with compassion for all that he and those with him endured.
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