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East Winds, Raining

Album: Gold Audio 12: At Home and Abroad

Episode: 175

Lesson/Theme: World War II; Bigotry

Bible Verse: Psalm 33:11-13, 16; Galations 3:26-28.

Characters: Bart, Connie

Writer: Paul McCusker

Sound Designer: Bob Luttrell

Original Air Date: December 7, 1991

Last Air Date: December 8, 2008

Description:
Bart Rathbone is ordering products from one of his distributor reps, David Saburo. Bart thinks David must be embarrassed by his Japanese ancestry, considering that it's Pearl Harbor Day. David tries to tell him that December 7 is an important day for him, too, because his father was at Pearl Harbor. Bart suggests that David not tell that to anybody around Odyssey, several families lost relatives when the Japanese bombed Pearl. David humbly accepts Bart's suggestion. Meanwhile, Connie finds her great-uncle Joe sitting next to the war memorial in McCalister Park, remembering where he was on that fateful day in 1941. Connie says she would love to hear about his experience. Uncle Joe tells Connie he was actually in Hawaii, working as a courier for the U.S. Department of State and the Naval Base at Pearl. His close friend, Sam, worked as a decoder for the U.S. Naval Intelligence. In a flashback, Sam says he's convinced that the Japanese Imperial Fleet is up to no good. He asks Joe to help him check it out. Reluctantly, Joe agrees and slowly becomes convinced that Sam is right. They set out to warn the American fleet at Pearl that the Imperial bomber planes are coming. But despite Joe's warning, no one listens. Sam insists they keep trying, but it is too late. Pearl Harbor is destroyed. Sam is killed in the process. Uncle Joe is sad at the memory and at losing his best friend. Then David Saburo speaks. He stopped by to see the memorial and heard Joe's story. David mentions again that his father was at Pearl. He worked as a decoder for the U.S. Naval Intelligence. His name was Sam Saburo. David is Sam's son.

Questions:
Why did Bart Rathbone warn David Saburo not to tell anyone in Odyssey that his father was at Pearl Harbor? Was Bart wrong for doing so? Why or why not? Read 1 Samuel 16:1-13 and Matthew 7:1-5. How does God look at each of us? What did Jesus say about judging people? Do you have a grandparent or other relative who lived through World War II? What is their story?