<p>Remembering my great uncle who was injured during Pearl Harbor & died in Honolulu, 8 months later. He was 35.
my thoughts are with the family & friends of those veterans & all our armed forces.</p>
<p>Thank you for remembering. </p>
<p>I often think of Pearl Harbor in relation to September 11th. Most people no longer remember/think about Pearl Harbor, I expect the same for 9/11 in another 2 or 3 generations.</p>
<p>Very different kind of events though. One targeted civilians and the other didn’t. And there is some very strong evidence that Roosevelt knew the attack would occur. </p>
<p>At the time Hawai’i wasn’t a state.</p>
<p>Next year will be the 70th anniversary of the attack. Over 2,400 died -the sacrifices made there and by all our veterans throughout history should be remembered (and honored).</p>
<p>My ex-FIL, who died a few months ago, had just been transferred off the Arizona a few weeks before the attack and was on Ford Island when it occurred. He has served on her for two years before that, so lost hundreds of friends on that day. He never went back to see the memorial, I think it was too raw and personal for him. We certainly think about this day in our family, and I know my children will for the rest of their lives. I am certain their children will be told stories about their great-grandfather and Pearl Harbor, too.</p>
<p>Yes. A surprise attack on an American naval base by Japanese extremists, as some would say now.</p>
<p>When we visited Pearl Harbor, my dad found a book in their bookstore that listed where all the ships in the Pacific Fleet were at the time. His brother’s ship was one day out…set to arrive on Dec. 8th. </p>
<p>Whenever he talks about his brother coming back from the war I think of Bills from South Pacific. Dad said he came back with lots of tatoos and an earring.</p>
<p>What is striking is the ages of the folks who were killed that day…they were just ships full of teenagers!</p>
<p>We have a photo of ex-FIL as a young, handsome man with a group of 7 other shipmates he was in a group with on the Arizona. They are all shirtless, late teens/early 20s, standing in two rows and squinting at the camera. You are right, missypie, they are so young! It was taken a couple of months before the attack. He said that they all died in the attack except for him. My kids have taken a copy of the photo in for school when they discussed Pearl Harbor in history class.</p>
<p>My grandfather was on board the USS West Virginia which was docked catty corner to the USS Arizona. He was below deck doing his laundry when Pearl Harbor was attacked. The only thing he would say about that day was that he was in his skivvies when he swam to shore. As a child, I remember this being the first time hearing the word “skivvies” and thinking it was funny.</p>
<p>As an adult, going through my grandfathers papers, I found his ‘journals’ where he talked about the weather, food, countries he visited. He had years 1932-1940, then 1942-1948? The only time he talked about 1941 was to put a note in his journal at the beginning of 1942- Lost 1941 journal during attack on Pearl Harbor. No other notes or oberservations about that day. To the day he died, he would never talk about it. </p>
<p>Although, I do have all his pictures- even back then he was a camera buff- I have many photo albums of his days onboard the many ships he served.</p>
<p>Freedom isn’t free.</p>
<p>We toured the Arizona the other week, with some visitors. The tour guide says that they had the technology and did an underwater archeological video of what you could see ofthe wreckage. He said that out of respect for the families of those who are entombed, they will NEVER show the footage–it’s extremely tragic and pretty awful (worse than your most grisly CSI). </p>
<p>It is a very sacred place. Several of the survivors have requested and are being entombed with their shipmates after they die.</p>
<p>Oil is still coming up from the AZ, after all these decades.</p>
<p>My grandparents went Hawaii for their 50th wedding anniv with some friends ( Ha- wi-yuh- the Miss-ur- ah pronunciation), in 1978- they absolutely loved it. I have lots of pics from their trip including the memorial- I think it meant a lot to my grandpa to see the place where his youngest brother lay.</p>
<p>The flag at the White House is at half-staff to commemorate the day…good to see.</p>
<p>My mother was a young girl in Queens NY when the Pearl Harbor disaster happened. She spoke of it with such seriousness that my DD assumed it happened in Queens. We didn’t get that misunderstanding straightened out until we learned of it until family discussions after the 9/11 World Trade Center tragedy.</p>
<p>My FIL (Navy) was sent to Pearl Harbor later in the War. We have a photo of him in his Navy uniform at age 19 in PH. FIL told us stories of his time there. Pretty exciting for a farm boy from NC. FIL passed away last spring. S1, named for FIL, is a Naval officer now and had a portrait tattoo (on his ribcage) done of the PH pic. in tribute to his Papa. S1 couldn’t attend the funeral due to needs of the Navy.
Whenever we hear of PH, we think of FIL.</p>
<p>It was a day that changed so many people’s lives forever and many never lived to see the next decade. I am alive because my father made it home after 4 long years. For me it is not a page in the history book. It is part of the life of my family. I have been to the memorial in the 1990s and after so many years I still felt the sadness.</p>
<p>Intparent, my grandfather was also on th USSArizona prior to Pearl harbor. He was a CPO and transferred off a few months before in one of those quick “grab your duffel bag and go” exchanges. According to family legend he kept a coffee pot in his quarters that went down with the ship.
He surely did revisit the scene later since he was stationed at Pearl again -which is where my parents met in 1949 or 50.</p>
<p>One of the bells from the Arizona:</p>
<p>[U.S.S</a>. Arizona Bell | arizona student unions](<a href=“http://www.union.arizona.edu/traditions/scrapbook/history27-2002.php]U.S.S”>http://www.union.arizona.edu/traditions/scrapbook/history27-2002.php)</p>
<p>Dragonmom, ex-FIL was transferred off because he drew the short straw in his unit and had to go ashore. They didn’t have computer printouts of who should transfer like they did today, they worked it out in their group. The Arizona was due to go back to the US soon, so he was unhappy about losing the draw. It pretty clearly saved his life, obviously.</p>