posted on December 8, 2004 02:50:55 AM
I lived in Honolulu for almost nine years and have been to the Memorial several times. My eyes welled up every time I went. Once I took the tour around Ford Island as well.
posted on December 8, 2004 07:25:50 PM
I grew up in Honolulu. I went to the Memorial many times. Humbling is right. I had a friend who was in the Navy stationed in Pearl Harbor and I got to go on base once. Wow... it's just so moving and such a strong feeling to be where that all happened. Luckily, growing up in Hawaii, I learned a lot about the history in school, maybe more than kids on the mainland. We got to hear about the curfews and, surprisingly or maybe not so much so, the restrictions and prejudices againsts the Japanese and Asian natives on the island.
A moving part of American history and as the son of a Vietnam vet I have to say that I have an enourmous amount of respect for those who fought.
posted on December 8, 2004 07:47:40 PM
My husband was part of it, the military defending us, I mean. He started out in the Army then became one of the first in the Army Air Corps.
I wasn't even born until four months after it all started. 2/42.
Both of my stepsons were in the Vietnam stuff. Air Force. The younger one was flying missions over Cambodia when we here in the U.S. were being told it wasn't happening. The older one was stationed in Japan for decades.
My oldest son was part of it later on. Navy. USNA '88. He was in the Persian Gulf. Flying those big helicopters with rotors on the front and back. Sea Knight? I don't know exactly...
I've been to the Arizona Memorial. My late husband and I went with the three boys in 1977. Yes, it took our breath away.
posted on December 8, 2004 08:46:47 PM
I have a story to tell. This is my Mom's brother. His name was Marvin. He went into the army in 1941. He was 25 when he was killed in 1944.
Another brother joined the Air Force and another one joined the Army at the same time as Marvin. A year later their sister joined the Waves. She said if her brothers had to go, she was going too.
A few months before Marvin was killed he was wounded and sent to a hospital in France. At the same time the third brother was wounded and almost lost his leg. Robert found out after he got home that they were in the same hospital at the same time and didn't know it. Marvin recovered and rejoined his unit. Robert, the other brother William and their sister Mary didn't learn of their brothers death until they returned home.
Be kind. Everyone is fighting their own secret battles.
...Author Unknown
posted on December 8, 2004 10:22:12 PM
I was attending a convention in Honolulu in the early 70's, and I took the Navy tour of the USS Arizona. I had seen news accounts many times of the attack, but it never really drove home until I stepped aboard the memorial. There was still oil from the engine compartment seeping to the surface of the water. It's impossible to put into words. You have to be there. Not a single one of those men died in vain. The world is a much better place now because of them. And we will NEVER forget.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
posted on December 8, 2004 11:11:58 PM
While a college student in the late 50s, I worked summers in an office in Phoenix, typing. One of the women in the office was a Navy wife who was working hard on getting the U.S.S. Arizona named as a national monument (or whatever it is now - war memorial??). I knew the Arizona had been sunk, from listening to her, but I didn't know until many many years later how many sailors went down with the ship, which was their burial ground. That gives me shivers.
Something that gives me even bigger shivers is the fact that our government knew the planes were coming to Pearl Harbor. Unforgiveable. When will we stop seeing young men as fodder?
Tis still a great debate about just how much FDR knew in advance, NTM just what he could have done!
The fact that (THANK GOD) all our AC CARRIERS were safely out to sea, thus saving the USN & giving us the opportunity to kick butt at MIDWAY, suggests that FDR knew sumptin -- twas no great secret that the embargoes would lead to WAR, just WHEN & WHERE??!!
Plus his hands were greatly tied by the AMERICA FIRSTERs and other nutso Nazi sympathizers like LINDBURGH...
Amazinly, 1 year later, an unknown ADMIRAL (SPRUANCE) really saved the US at MIDWAY -- or ye Californians would be eating a whole loot more sushii NOW!!
posted on December 9, 2004 06:09:12 AM
"- twas no great secret that the embargoes would lead to WAR, just WHEN & WHERE??!! "
The reason for this was that Japan being an island had to import EVERYTHING.The important thing they needed was oil, which lead to their attack of Indonesia and China. That was a no-no as far as the U.S. was concerned which lead to the embargoes in the first place.On the other side of the planet Churchill was begging FDR to get involved in the war as Britian and every Europeon country was getting their ass kicked.FDR didnt want to declare war on Germany for no reason, as the people of the U.S. would look very unfavorably of this, as this was a Europeon war at the time not ours.So by not lifting the Japanese embargo they would eventually attack us and give us an excuse to go to war with Germany as they along with Italy and Japan were part of the "axis pact"-you delcare war on one country you delcare war on all three.It was never the intention of the Japanese to attack the mainland U.S.Crossing an open ocean of 6,000 miles to attack a country of our size would be a phyical impossbility.What they actual wanted to do was take over as many of the islands in the pacific as possible to build bases,and make it very difficult and costly for the U.S. to wage war against them, as they were hoping the U.S.would realize this and sue for peace and leave them alone.There were only 2 carriers stationed at Pearl at the time-the Lexington and the Hornet, and as Tom said they were out at sea.They were both involved in the battle of Midway,and the Lexington was sunk,I believe in the battle of the Coral Sea later on in 1942.The biggest mistake the Japanese made was not attacking Pearl 2,3,or 4 more times and finding the the 2 carriers and sinking them also.Im sure the Japanese at the time could have taken a couple of thousand troops and taken over the Hawaiian islands-if that had happened it would have been a disaster for the U.S.
