73rd Pearl Harbor Day
Seventy-three years ago today we were “suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan” leading to our ultimate involvement in the war which the rest of the world had been fighting for more than two years. Wiki records our casualties on that day;
All eight U.S. Navy battleships were damaged, with four being sunk. All but one were later raised, and six of the eight battleships returned to service and fought in the war. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship,[nb 5] and one minelayer. 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed; 2,402 Americans were killed[16] and 1,282 wounded. Important base installations such as the power station, shipyard, maintenance, and fuel and torpedo storage facilities, as well as the submarine piers and headquarters building (also home of the intelligence section) were not attacked. Japanese losses were light: 29 aircraft and five midget submarines lost, and 65 servicemen killed or wounded. One Japanese sailor was captured.
Ex-PH2 sends a link to NBC which reports that we haven’t completely forgot, yet, about the event that led us to war and leadership in the world;
On Friday, Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie and Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell lead a day of remembrance at the USS Arizona Memorial center near the site of the initial attack.
The Freedom Bell in Washington, D.C. — cast in bronze with metal from the World Trade Center — rang in honor of those who served in the armed forces, NBC affiliate KHNL reports. Skydivers also unfurled American Flags over Pearl Harbor.
On Saturday, the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Va., will host Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day with speakers and a laying of a wreath in honor of the fallen members of the military as well as civilians killed.
In Little Rock, Ark., bad weather forced the cancellation of ceremonies scheduled there for Saturday.
Here is a link to President Roosevelt’s request to Congress for a declaration of war the following day.
Category: Historical
I’ve had the opportunity to visit the Arizona Memorial twice, with one time taking my son and daughter. Such an important and somber place. Don’t know how else to describe it.
The NFL pre-game shows have probably already begun today, but back in 1941, things were different. There were only ten NFL teams, including the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Chicago Cardinals, and the Cleveland Rams. The remaining seven teams still exist by their same names today.
On December 7, 1941, there were three games scheduled: Chicago Bears v. Chicago Cardinals, Washington Redskins v. Philadelphia Eagles, and NY Giants v. Brooklyn Dodgers. All three games were played that infamous Sunday. In Chicago and NY, the public address system bellowed with instructions for all servicemen to report to their units immediately. At the Redskins game, the owner decided not to announce the attack but the stadium’s announcer interrupted the game repeatedly to instruct foreign ambassadors, government officials (sometimes by name), and military folks to report to their stations. The fact of war was not announced but those in attendance knew something serious was up. Reports of the day say that the crowd grew strangely silent. No one gave a shit about the games and, today, they are all but forgotten.
73 years ago today I lost one of my uncles at Pearl Harbor though I never knew him. The next day my father enlisted. Many are still with us to remember today for what this event touched off for out nation and the world. One is a man in my church, who is a Navy veteran and was a crew member on the B-24 Liberator, PB4Y Privateer in the VPB-118 and VPB-119 Squadrons. A great and humble man he is.
Charlie Chaplin in 1940 from the Great Dictator. History so often repeats itself.
When my parents first visited the Arizona Memorial, my Dad almost punched some Japanese tourists who were laughing and joking in front of the memorial wall. The lack of respect was disgusting, and it was all my Mom (daughter of a WWII Navy vet) could do to keep his provoked Irish temper in check.
A few years later, they took me and my sister back there. I was 17 at the time. I was pleasantly surprised that the Japanese tourists were actually respectful that time. Reading the names on the wall, seeing the fuel still leaking from the wreck, I’ll never forget that as long as I live.
I’ll also never forget the experience I had a few minutes before boarding the boat to visit the Memorial. I was in the museum checking out the large-scale model of the Arizona as she looked on December 6, and also checking out the hot little blond who was my same age who was also checking it out. Her grandfather was beside her, wearing a WWII vet ballcap, and indicating points of interest in the scale model. I overheard him saying things like, “Right there’s where we would meet up to play cards,” and, “My buddy was assigned to that gun mount. Never saw him again.” Then he said, “That’s where I was when the bomb hit the forward magazine. Next thing I knew, I was in the water, and the water was on fire.”
Suffice it to say, I refrained from hitting on his granddaughter and maintained a respectful silence.
About twenty years ago my brother was remodeling his home in Seattle. I was helping him when we opened a wall and found a copy of the Seattle Times placed between the studs. It was dated Dec 7, 1941 Sunday early addition. There was absolutely no mention of war. Nothing on the ongoing negotiations going on in DC. Not a peep. That was the last newspaper for a long time that was not filled with war news. When that issue was going to press, the Japs were already in position to launch their attack. Only hours later the world changed forever. They bushwhacked us and shot us in the backs, thereby violating the Code of the West and ensuring their complete destruction.