By Dale Roberson
I’m holed up here alone on my place with only my animals to talk to because this Coronovirus scares the hell out of me. It’s not the only time I have been scared, however, and I will persevere.
My mother told me about the Spanish Flu of 1918 when she lost twin siblings to that disease. The whole world suffered fear during that time.
But America persevered!
I was born during the Great Depression and, although I was too young to realize it, I’m sure my parents, along with nearly every American, were scared. I do remember eating quail and prairie chickens my dad trapped on an oil lease where he worked. At least he had a job. Many Americans didn’t and were fearful.
But America persevered!
I was old enough during World War II to realize the fear my father and grandparents underwent when my uncle was fighting in Germany. Many things were rationed: tires, gasoline, and some food. Nearly everyone in the country suffered fear during that war.
But America persevered!
In the late 40s and early 50s, polio was what kept us scared. For a short while I didn’t see a friend who lived down the block from us and with whom I played some sand lot baseball. So I went to his house, knocked on his door and asked his mother if he could play. She informed me he had passed away from polio. My cousin and I played together one day; the next day he was in the hospital with polio. He spent time at Gonzales Hot Springs and walked with braces the rest of his life. I was lucky, but so many Americans weren’t.
But America persevered!
In the 1950s a nutcase U.S. Senator named Joseph McCarthy put a scare into all Americans who read newspapers, listened to the radio or watched TV news with accusations about many citizens being Communists. I was old enough at that time to be a newspaper reader. The crap McCarthy was putting out even caused me to suspect our neighbors the Pelfreys. Old man Pelfrey ran the lumberyard and could count nails very well, but I doubt he could spell Communism. I’m sure others across the country were more scared than this West Texas teenager.
But America persevered!
There also was a great amount of fear across the U.S.A. during the Korean and Vietnam wars. We lost nearly 50,000 Americans in Vietnam alone. Talk about fear.
But America persevered!
Also, during the late 60s and early 70s we had riots in many of our cities including L.A., Detroit and some eastern states. Businesses were burned and people were killed.
But America persevered!
Bombings across the U.S. took hundreds of lives including children in Oklahoma City, Marathon observers in Boston and Olympic fans in Atlanta. A hermit called the Unibomber put the fear of God in many.
But America persevered!
Then, what scared us was nuts driving around shooting innocent people off the streets for no reason at all.
But America persevered!
When we lost more than 3,000 Americans because a bunch of crazy religious zealots flew planes into New York towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. How could we not fear at that time?
But America persevered!
Since then, we have faced conflicts in Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern countries as well as on the African and Asian continents. We have faced threats by such despots as Hitler, Mussolini, Saddam Hussein and that crazy little bastard in North Korea.
But America persevered!
The country has suffered such calamities as devastating hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, floods, earthquakes, volcano eruptions and even toxic foods.
But America persevered!
The history of our nation, from its inception until today, has marked one challenge after another from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War to World War I and WWII and on and on.
But America will persevere!
