A Moment of Silence, Please

[Pete44ru]

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In memory of those souls who perished on Dec 7, 1941 - In the attack @ Pearl Harbor..................


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[Blaine]

Mom always said we had a shirttail relative on the Arizona that died that morning. Back then, I think everyone knew about someone that was attacked that day.

[gamekeeper]

Lest we forget....

[jeepnik]

No relatives at Pearl. However, my grandfather had recently been medically discharged. His last ship. USS Vestal. A repair ship tied up alongside the USS Arizona.

He lost many friends that day. He some how managed to get medically cleared and returned to duty within several days of the attack. Sadly he never got to go back to sea (and for an old China sailor that was sever punishment). Instead he was assigned to San Francisco. He died in mid 1942 of the same heart ailment that caused his original discharge.

My dad's stepdad was in the Philippines (also career navy). Another old chief (heck both had served since before WWI) he stayed aboard ship for most of the war. And reportedly the ships he served on did get some payback.

[Lastmohecken]

My uncle was a Capt. of an anti-air craft gunner unit in the Philippines during WWII, and stayed in the reserves until 1963, retired as a Lt. Co. He competed at Camp Perry during the years after the war.

We had a cousin on one of the ships at Pearl. I think he may have been on the Arizona but I am not sure about that. I do remember my Grandmother telling me that he credited his survival of the attack on the fact that he was already up and dressed that morning, because he was writing a letter to send to family back home. I don't know whatever happened to him.

[Daisyman]

My FIL was in Pearl Harbor, I'm thinking on the Arizona, but not sure anymore. Made it through the war, got home and raised a family, but brought home something with him that got him at 63......forty years of Camel straights started during the war. Lung cancer.....a really nice guy, too. So sad.

[Pete44ru]

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Great replies - as for myself, I was just a gleam in my Father's eye when Pearl got attacked.


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[Chuck 100 yd]

My old boss and friend was a Pearl Harbor survivor. He never did talk about it much. My dad ,a WWII
vet would not talk about the war much either. They are leaving us at an alarming rate now. My dad is 92 and just gave up driving a month ago. He is getting more frail by the day.

RIP to those we lost on that day. 12-7-41 will live in infamy!

[Grizz]

thanks for the rememberance. it's a fine thing to remember the cost. RIP old timers.

[DadsMod12]

One of my best friend's father-in-law was stationed at the air force base. He was walking with a buddy to early mass when he saw the priest standing in the doorway yelling and pointed to the sky. Not sure what happened after that, but I do know he retired as a colonel. My friend said his FIL never really talked about Pearl Harbor.

[AJMD429]

Thanks for the reminder.

[JohndeFresno]

Yes.

[M. M. Wright]

When the wife and I got married, 25 years ago, we honeymooned in N Y City. Stayed at a B&B in Queens where our host was a man who was the NCOIC at Hickam that fateful morning. He said the only phone there was on his desk and that's where most of the events were reported back up the chain of command. I don't remember that day, I was only 2, but I sure remember VJ night.

[BILLYDIXON]

I was working in a BMW motorcycle shop in Maryland in 02-03. There was a older looking guy that just road in on a K bike. (Sport bike) I started talking to him and he told me he was doing the four corners ride. I said are you a WWII vet. He said, I was with the Carriers and we sailed on Saturday morning. A really interesting guy to talk to. Neat.

[boolitshooter]

May God Bless all who died that day.
What I know from first hand telling is not about the Sailers and ships but my Aunt.
She said she was making coffee and getting ready to get my three cousins up from bed (they lived in a Naval housing apartment) when she heard a different sounding aircraft and then gun fire. They targeted the apartment complex. Some rounds hit her stove and cabinets. No one was hit. My oldest cousin had to turn off the gas valve to the stove since it was leaking gas.
She said they were afraid to go outside until they could no longer hear the planes.
My Uncle was on a sub in the Pacific at that time. She did not hear from him until Japan had surrended.
Another Uncle of mine was on a sub in the Pacific at this time, his wife, my Aunt was living in San Francisco. She had two children. They did not hear from him either until the end of the war.
It was tough times for all Americans during these WAR years.
My Father enlisted in the Navy one week after the attack, he was 16 years old and attending Texas Tec.
My Grandparents had to go to Lubbock to sign him in.
His older brother enlisted With in a week of the Pearl bombing.
Neither my Dad or any of my Uncles ever talked about their experiences of the War. Yes we asked them, but there always an excluse.

[BILLYDIXON]

I had 4 uncles and a grandfather who fought in WWII. One uncle was shot down in the Philippines and was killed. Another uncle was working on the railroad as a telegrapher. He was 16. The navy needed trained telegrapher. His mother had to sign him up. He served in submarines. The sub he was on was the USS Bullhead. They experienced several depth charge attacks. When they put in to Australia. The skipper and my uncle got off. The boat sailed and was sunk by a Japanese plane off of Bali. No one got out and it was the last boat sunk in WWII. My two others uncles landed at normandie and fought all the way to Germany. My grandfather was a captain in the merchant marine in WWI and WWII.

[Ysabel Kid]

I was happy that they mentioned this at my children's respective schools. We certainly discussed it at Boy Scouts that night!