Financial Recovery, Selling the Houser Ranch, Oceans and Continents Apart

James graduated college in 1938 or possibly 1939, the date isn't what this story is about, so the exact year won't be known, since the memory is only an approximation.

America was just starting her financial recovery from the Great Depression, and the unemployment rate was slowly getting better, which helped in the selling of the Houser ranch. After almost ten years - ten long years of desperate, starvation, and survival Frank Morrison joins his wife and two sons in sunny California.

Even with all the success that America has created, the American dream however, was reluctantly starting to fracture - again. Germany's, Adolph Hitler, was on a path to turn all of Europe into the Nazi, Aryan Nation.  The American Society, along with her defensive allies, were reluctant to get involved in another expensive war. They decided instead to sit back and maintain neutrality in fear of another financial tail spin that they experienced after WWI.

American military defenses kept a militant eye on Japan, a small nation under militia control, which also happened to be close to American soil.   They watch the Japanese military strike and take control over the Chinese borders and other various islands in the South Pacific Sea. American military couldn't sit idly by without implementing some kind of military action plan. American military determines that they had to somehow create a 'secure, meandering, stealthy' path through the South Pacific islands to Japan.



James learns (through the newspaper and other media like, radio) about the wars going on around Japan and Europe. He learns of Hitler's deliberate actions that willingly defy the Treaty of Versailles, as well as the suppression being imposed on our allies, and the other unbelievable grotesque war crimes. His compassionate desire to end the suffering of innocent people, combined with; American pride, the need for a job, and the desire to remove the lethal dictatorships of the world - motivates him to sign up for the Army.

After finishing basic training, James is assigned to active duty in the Philippines. He's to help create the secure and safe path that would meander through the South Pacific islands to Japan.

Dec 8th, 1941 around 4:30am, James is awakened from an exhausted sleepless sleep, by his commander's direct urgent tone. He's required for an important military briefing  ASAP.  James, jumps out of bed runs out of his barracks, ready for anything - confident that his training would serve him well.

James along with his fellow soldiers stand at ease waiting for the briefing to start. He stands there listening as his commander explains that he was just notified by General McCarther that American blood has been spilled on American soil. Two hours prior (the Philippines are about 16 hours ahead of Hawaii), the Japanese slaughtered thousand's of Americans by their sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.

It's Dec 8th, 1941, a day that James, in tragic disbelief, lowers his head, and wipes the tear pooling at the corner of his eye. Another day in James' life where indescribable emotions swirl around him, wanting to consume his every cell, causing time to stand still. He stands with weak knees, slowly attempts to soak in the depth of this new reality- thousands of fellow troops died in a sneak attack - troops that were struck in the morning light, under secrecy and surprise, dying without the ability to strike back.

Tragedy has struck America - the land of the wealthy, populated, and un-impenetrable.

Standing there feeling alone in a crowded Army briefing in the middle of the Philippine coastline thousands of miles from home, he awaits in uncertainty the impending orders: