Veteran’s Son Reflects on December 7th Birthday
By Lisa Horn – Montgomery Advertiser
John Matthews sighs at the mention of how old he is today -- 65. Born mere hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Montgomery resident said sharing his day with "the date that lives in infamy" has grown in meaning as he has gotten older.
"My birth just happens to coincide with a moment in history," said Matthews, whose father was a sailor stationed at Pearl Harbor in the 1930s. "But as you get older, you reflect on it."
The retired ALFA employee has tried to have fun with his birthday over the years and on his 50th, in 1991, made an invitation that looked like a mock newspaper headline announcing his birth, "A day that will live in infancy."
On his 60th, he agreed to have a party -- as long as everyone invited was older than him. He and a friend are in New York and will return to Montgomery today.
Though the day's significance has increased for him over the years, Matthews is afraid that Dec. 7, 1941, will be lost to the pages of history, especially when older generations, like his father, are gone.
"The relevance of Dec. 7, 1941, is lost in this post-9/11 era," he said. "Dec. 7, 1941, is for old people and World War II veterans, and there are very few of those left anymore."
Matthews is humbled, he said, by observing his birthday on a day when more than 2,400 people lost their lives.
The only downside, he said, laughing, is "that people don't forget (the date) and they always know how old I am."
"My birth just happens to coincide with a moment in history," said Matthews, whose father was a sailor stationed at Pearl Harbor in the 1930s. "But as you get older, you reflect on it."
The retired ALFA employee has tried to have fun with his birthday over the years and on his 50th, in 1991, made an invitation that looked like a mock newspaper headline announcing his birth, "A day that will live in infancy."
On his 60th, he agreed to have a party -- as long as everyone invited was older than him. He and a friend are in New York and will return to Montgomery today.
Though the day's significance has increased for him over the years, Matthews is afraid that Dec. 7, 1941, will be lost to the pages of history, especially when older generations, like his father, are gone.
"The relevance of Dec. 7, 1941, is lost in this post-9/11 era," he said. "Dec. 7, 1941, is for old people and World War II veterans, and there are very few of those left anymore."
Matthews is humbled, he said, by observing his birthday on a day when more than 2,400 people lost their lives.
The only downside, he said, laughing, is "that people don't forget (the date) and they always know how old I am."
