Early in 1942 a rumor rapidly spread one evening in the small Western Oregon town where I grew up, that the 'Japanese fleet' was twelve miles (I remember this number) off the coast near the mouth of the Columbia River. Most of the able bodied men and possibly some not so able gathered with their dogs and shotguns and deer rifles and headed for the bridge at the west end of town. It was clear that the Japanese would advance from the west, that is, directly inland from the coast, a theory that ignored their having to traverse the Coast Range on narrow roads in order to capture a small town of absolutely no military or commercial significance (as opposed to steaming down the Columbia to Portland, where naval guns could have done some damage).
The local National Guard unit had been federalized as part of the 41st Infantry Division in 1939 and was not at home.
After perhaps forty-five minutes of shining flashlights about, someone thought to call the state police, who could hardly keep from laughing.
Robert Paul The Oral History Project Mutton College ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
