Another anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which brought the United States into World War II. Lest we not forget our history and get drawn into any more conflicts.......... drill sgt.

It's the 80th anniversary of the attack. I was just 2 weeks shy of 4 years old.

flashguy

Sadly, most will go about their business today, kids will attend school, parents will go to work, college students will attend class, completely oblivious to this important day of rememberance.

Although I was born during the Vietnam War, even as kids growing up, we knew the significance of this date and the significance of the attack.

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
It's the 80th anniversary of the attack. I was just 2 weeks shy of 4 years old.

flashguy

Even at that young age, I'm sure you must have some memories of WW II. If you ever feel so inclined, I hope you'll consider starting a thread and sharing those memories. If not of the war itself, then perhaps memories of what it was like back here, on the home front. I would love to hear any memories you have of that time, and I'm betting others would as well.

Maybe we even have a few others who have memories of that time that would share them in a thread as well.

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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YDcNZGdstvA

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Modern Day Savage,

My Father was a WWII combat vet. He never spoke of the war. And I now recognize he was PTSD. I exercise walk in Park Cemetery every other day. The number of graves that display the "ruptured duck" denoting WWII service is amazing, given how small a town MQT was during WWII. There are a few who were KIA during the war. All our wars are on full display there, going back to the War of 1812. And KIAs from most of those conflicts are there too.
Seeing all this displayed gives me a far greater appreciation of my old man's service. I just wish I could have talked with him about it.

Being “drawn into a war” may mean different things to different people, but it’s hard for me to imagine anything that it applies to less than our involvement in World War II.

The militarists who were running Japan at the time decided to attack the US as a prophylactic measure because they were planning to launch aggressive war throughout the area they believed they had a racial and cultural right to control and didn’t want the US to be in a position to interfere before they had consolidated their gains in the region. They also believed that the US lacked the will to fight a protracted war (and they might have been right if the attack had occurred even 20 years later). Some apologists for their action point to the limited sanctions the US imposed on Japan for such things as its aggression in China and the horrific example of Nanking as justification for that country’s surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, but that beggars belief. If Japan was justified in starting a full scale war for that reason, then we would have no reason to complain if Russia or China or, to the extent it was capable, Iran did something similar today.

And lest we forget, even after 7 December there were many in the US who didn’t want us to go to war against Germany despite the very good reasons for doing so. It was only because Hitler committed one of his serial massive blunders and declared war on us first that that decision was made for us. Again, we were hardly “drawn into” the war in Europe any more than in Asia and the Pacific.

Mrs. Flash and I were on the Arizona Memorial 5 weeks ago to pay our respects on the 80th Anniversary.

Very sobering exprience.

Indeed, may we never forget the significance of this date in our country’s history.

My wife and I visited Oahu a little over three years ago. Pearl Harbor was an amazing place to visit; we learned more about the situation at-hand in the world at that time than I’d realized prior. The USS Arizona Memorial was closed for repairs at that time, so visitors were taken to the site in a launch. Very somber.

How could I ever forget...ex-wife's Birthday!

Visiting the Arizona Memorial and sitting atop Little Round Top at Gettysburg are my two favorite places in this country. The magnitude of both events and the stamp it left on this country are immense.

My family had two in the war, my grandfather as an officer, North Africa then England, and my father, drafted as soon as he turned 18 in '43, then he went to Australia, New Guinea, Leyte and Luzon.
A month after it ended they went to Japan as it was starting to be disarmed and they rode on trucks and marched past both Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
He didn't seem to hold it against the the civilians except to say they were brainwashed but the soldiers he wasn't too fond of.

In 1972, I met Pete. He was at Pearl that day. He was in a mess hall when they hit. He and another guy ran into the kitchen and hid behind a large stove. A bomb landed nearby and the entire room was sprayed with broken glass. People he had been sitting with were killed. He left the mess hall and was running toward his duty station. He was strafed by a Zero and he said it was so close, he could see the pilot's eyes.

That night, weapons were handed out and Pete was offered a 1911. He refused it and said "I want something I can hit somebody with." He was given a shotgun and was happy. There were many rumors about Japanese paratroopers coming and their was no communication with the mainland.

Both of his eardrums were ruptured that day and it ended his flying career. He stayed in for 40 years and became an E-9. His last duty station was with the unit that maintained Air Force 1. He and his wife went back to Hawaii every year for the reunions as long as their health allowed.

He was still flying his own plane when I met him and continued to fly up into his 80's. He and his wife had no children and had traveled the world, including several years stationed in Alaska. Pete loved to fish and enjoyed his Alaskan time. He bought a Model 27 to carry while fishing. The Model 29 came out soon after and he wished he could have waited for that gun.

Pete died several years ago and his wife 2 years ago. He taught me a great deal in the time I got to spend with him. He taught me about good whiskey among other things. I will think about Pete today and our time together.

A year ago last February, we got to Pearl Harbor for the first time. We spent most of a day there and did all of the tourist things. It was a very memorable and moving day. One of the names on the Arizona Memorial was a HS classmate of my late mother in law. We have a letter he wrote her and are working to find any family he might have left so we can give them the letter if they want.

My Grandfather’s brother was there on December 7.
He was not Navy but was an army sergeant at Schofield Army Barracks. As a senior NCO he was brought home to the USA to train new troops and was later killed in some house to house fighting in Italy. He is buried there in a US cemetery.

Never forget. An old family friend, who passed away many years ago, gave me his wings when I was 7 or 8 years old. He was a B-17 crewman stationed in Pearl Harbor during the attack.

quote:

Originally posted by maxwayne:
In 1972, I met Pete. He was at Pearl that day...

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

When I was stationed in Hawaii, my Lanai (balcony) overlooked Pearl Harbor and the Arizona. Many afternoons/evenings I raised a glass to the Greatest Generation.

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:
Mrs. Flash and I were on the Arizona Memorial 5 weeks ago to pay our respects on the 80th Anniversary.

Very sobering exprience.

I have been there twice. Very emotional.

flashguy

One of my childhood friends father was Louis Gombasy. He was awarded the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his actions aboard the U.S.S. Nevada that day.

I never knew any of this until the late 80’s.

My dad was a Marine stationed on Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941.

My late Dad was 11 years old living on Oahu when the attack occurred. He said most people more or less went about their normal Sunday activities as there was no communication and nobody knew what was really going on. He did wonder why Japanese fighter planes were flying over.

Never Forget...

I am a big fan of the MacArthur Memorial and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum in VA. I discovered it not too long after we located to VA from Cols. OH just after 9/11. Ever since then I have been a big fan and supporter of the museum.

They are hosting an event in honor of Dec 07, 1941

From their web site.


Pearl Harbor 80th Anniversary
Virtual Commemoration

December 7, 2021

7:00 PM



To mark the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the MacArthur Memorial and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum are hosting a virtual presentation by historian Walter Borneman. Borneman will discuss his book:

Brothers Down: Pearl Harbor and the Fate of the Many Brothers Aboard the USS Arizona.

The event is FREE but registration is required.

Register at:

www.macarthurmemorial.org

https://us02web.zoom.us/webina...pRLhgPTFuVD9gXYH0WTA