Pearl Harbor Day - Dec 7th, 1941
Contributors to this thread:General Topic
From: JL
07-Dec-21
A salute and a day to remember those folks who were there and those who didn't survive. I'm not aware of any family members who were there. I don't think we have anyone here on BS who was born then??
From: Supernaut
07-Dec-21
My pap survived the attack in Pearl Harbor. I wish he were still here to talk to.
God bless all of our veterans, past present and future.
From: JL
07-Dec-21
Was your dad on one of the battleships or at one of the airfields?
From: PushCoArcher
07-Dec-21
Grandpa in the center
Grandpa in the center
My grandpa joined the army days after the attack. He survived guadalcanal, Siapan, Okinawa, and other smaller battles before coming back home to Rattan Oklahoma to live a quiet life as a rancher and farmer. At the time of his death he had 4 kids, 11 grandkids, and I great grandchild. Truly the greatest generation.
From: Supernaut
07-Dec-21
JL, it was my grandpap and he was on a ship. His bunk mate saved his life. My pap was thrown into a bulkhead and knocked out and his bunk mate drug him out. He died when I was 12 so I never got to really talk to him much about any of his war experience. Most of my info. is from my grandma and she is gone now as well.
From: tinecounter
07-Dec-21
From: tinecounter
07-Dec-21
Truly, the greatest generation. Honor, respect and never forget!
From: Woods Walker
07-Dec-21
Never forget is right!
It was the worst mistake Japan ever made.
From: lewis
07-Dec-21
That horrible event probably kept me being born in 1942 as my dad and my mom were in love planning their wedding.That was put on hold as dad and 4 of his brothers volunteered and dad spent the the next 3 1/2 years in Europe.His company was the group that stumbled on to Dachau which he didn’t speak of until he was 88 he passed when he was 89.He got back to the states on his birthday October 4 and married my mom on Christmas Day 1945 . I was born on November 10th 1946.All his brothers came back in good shape.It was the greatest generation.God Bless America ????
From: TGbow
07-Dec-21
I thank God for those that have served and sacrificed. Never forget!
My great uncle was a Ranger in the Pacific. He survived but was never the same.
From: Altizer
07-Dec-21
I’m a Pearl Harbor kid. My dad was on the California. Dad was a gunners mate and hard hat diver. . He spent the weeks cutting wreckage. He said the tapping during the first couple of days was the worse. I’ve got the casings from the first rounds he fired. 16 yr old kid that left the coal fields to make a better life. Heck of a guy. I miss him and I’m proud of those type of men. This is always a solemn day for us out of respect. America needs more men of that caliber. God bless them.
From: Buffalo1
07-Dec-21
My F-I-L turned 18 the day after Pearl Harbor attack. Joined Army on his birthday. Was a Ranger in the Pacific freeing US POW's. He was certified "badass." I never had a desire to cross that man !
He thought Rambo movies were comedy shows. Never had any love for anything to do with Japan or China.
From: Al Dente Laptop
07-Dec-21
It is an extreme and somber experience to stand above the USS Arizona, and see the "tears of the Arizona" rise up to the surface. There are 2 memorial walls there, one for those that died on that day, and one for those who survived, but when they died, they chose to be cremated, placed in an urn, and during a service, have a US Navy Diver bring them down and nestle them among the wreckage, so that they can rest with their fallen brothers. May God rest their souls.
From: JL
07-Dec-21
JL's Link
Some PH photos not seen too often......
From: tinecounter
07-Dec-21
Buffalo1, your comment, "Never had any love for anything to do with Japan or China." triggered this memory. Had an older hunting buddy, WWII Pacific Army combat decorated veteran. He was a devout Christian, terrific salesman and dept. sales manager for a major retail chain. But, he was unable to service Asian customers, always turning them over to another sales person. He was troubled by this and we talked about (he always initiated the conversation) it many times. "I can't. I guess I just saw too much," was repeated often. WWII PTSD? Don't know, but a burden he carried for a lifetime.
From: hawkeye in PA
07-Dec-21
Agree greatest generation and thanks to all the veterans.
From: Zim
07-Dec-21
Until he retired a few years ago my cubicle was across from a Japanese guy who was a ten year old student in the hills above Pearl. One day I asked him about it and his story was so amazing. The Zeros flew right over his village and were so low he could see the pilot’s faces. He ran over the hill crest to watch the bombing from high above before getting directed to hide in some school building.
From: FLhntr
07-Dec-21
Most definitely the greatest generation! We could use more of those men among us today.
From: badbull
07-Dec-21
I was three at the time and remember well the years following up to the end of the war in 1944. America lost 407,316 killed in combat. Practically everyone knew a family that had lost a father, brother or son in combat. My mother's first cousin was killed. My uncle who raised me was wounded by a sniper ( shot thru his clavicle). We should appreciate what we have and maybe not complain so much about trivial things.
From: sundowner
08-Dec-21
Every veteran of WWll should have been awarded a decent livable salary for life, IMO. Those brave men saved the world. And for the cost of The Marshall Plan giveaway, it could have been done. U.S. taxpayers, including veterans, bore the cost of rebuilding Europe after we liberated it from tyranny.
Even then we had liberals with stupid anti-American policies and ideas. More now.
From: Shuteye
08-Dec-21
My dad was in the national guard at Camp Perry teaching new recruits how to shoot a 30-06. He had three brothers in the Navy and one in the army . Also a brother in-law in the Army. One of my uncles was 17 years old driving a landing craft taking Marines to the beaches. One uncle was on a destroyer that was sunk by Kamikaze planes. He swam to an island and hid from the Japanese soldiers that were looking for him. The Marines rescued him. He lost a bunch of friends that day that went down with the ship. Their brother in law was captured and was skin and bones when rescued. I have a bayonet that my Uncle from the Army gave me and a sea bag one of my Navy uncles gave me. I also have medals for shooting a 1000 yard target with open sights my dad gave me. They are all gone now and I will never forget them.
