Where we were when Pearl Harbor was attacked

World Defense Review ^ | December 2, 2005 | W. Thomas Smith, Jr.

[elbucko]

In fact,JFK was,IMO,the last prominent (influential) democRAT to be worthy of the respect of today's Republicans/ conservatives.

I agree with you. For some insight into JFK before he became famous, try and read a copy of a book that he actually wrote: "Why England Slept" (1940). It's eerily contemporary to the mistakes made leading up to the war on terrorism. It's easy to see where the backbone came from to deal with the Cuban Missile Crisis.

[stumpy]

I have a friend, Ken Kreese who was aboard a destroyer in Pearl as the attack went on. His ship was not hit, and he said to me what haunts him to this day was watching the jap planes strafing the sailors in the water.

[jettester]

My wife's grandparents were stationed at Pearl and living off-base when the attack took place. He was a Chief in the Navy and she was at home with their first child, my wife's uncle. The grandmother remembers looking out the windows and seeing all of these planes flying around and hubby telling her it was probably some training activities - until the first explosions began to be heard!

This lovely woman had such a great spirit and love of Christ. Every year, our church would honor those veterans serving our country and she was always asked to tell her story about that Sunday morning so long ago. Today, she is in heaven teaching the angels how to play baseball.

[El Gato]

In fact,JFK was,IMO,the last prominent (influential) democRAT to be worthy of the respect of today's Republicans/ conservatives.

What about Sam Nunn and Henry "Scoop" Jackson? They, AFAIK, didn't bed anything in a skirt, including mobster's girlfriends and foreign agents. JFK, in that respect, was if anything worse than BJC. (But much better in other ways of course).

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

7:00 AM Pearl - 12:00 PM Boston

Yes. I am aware. I only meant that I would have expected him to have been leaving church on a Sunday morning in 1941 much earlier in the morning than 1 or 2 pm...which is probably the earliest that the news would have reached the East Coast in 1941.

[cynicom]

I recall in the late 30s my Father calling FDR a lying SOB when he kept saying he would NEVER draft American boys to fight in a foreign war.

[texianyankee]

My Dad joined the Coast Guard in 1939. He was stateside when Pearl Harbor got bombed, but shortly thereafter, he was assigned to an attack transport ship & served at Amchitka, Tarawa, Kwajalein.
I need to ask him where he was when he first heard the news.

[VOYAGER]

I was fifteen years old and in school assembly when we listened very respectfully to President Roosevelt very forcefully ask the Congress of the United States to declare "that a state of war has existed between the United States of America and the Empire of Japan" from that moment Dec.7th 1941!

I waited until I was seventeen got my Daddy to sign a release so I could join the Navy on Sept.7th 1943.Boarded a train(my first train ride)wound up in San Diego Cal. U.S.N.T.S.

I was born Aug.21,1926 and since no extra gasoline was available had to wait for the Navy recruiter to come to our little town to offer me opportunity to sign up.

I did try to join when I turned sixteen by writing a letter to the Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox(as an English class project)but was courteously rejected after his letter thanked me for my patriotism.

That made me feel real good!

[bert]

The womb

[oldsalt]

I was sitting in my wicker stroller while my Mom and I were at Charlie Em's butcher shop picking up some cold cuts for a late lunch.I loved the butcher shop, sawdust on the floor,wonderful smells in the air,and Charlie always gave me a slice of salami.

That day everybody was excitedly talking about Pearl Harbor,lots of them didn't know where it was. My Mom ,who had a keen sense of history leaned over and told me to remember this day because we were in the war. I was 2 and a half but I can remember it like it was yesterday.

Lots of things have changed though and the butcher doesn't give me free salami anymore either.

[texianyankee]

Enjoyed reading your personal story. Thanks for sharing it and thanks for your service.

[Uncle Hal]

I was coming out of church. I was 6 at the time and I remember a women coming up and telling us about the attack. Obviously, I did not know where Pearl Harbor was or even where Hawaii was.

[zot]

Thanks for the ping. I heard President Roosevelt announce it on radio.

[albee]

I was nearly nine years old and living in San
Francisco having arrived from China on a Japanese
ship, no less! (Tatsuta Maru).

I recall that some Chinese Americans wore signs
around their necks saying "I AM CHINESE NOT JAPANESE"
when they ventured outside of Chinatown as tempers were
running high and several Asians were beaten up because they were
suspected of being Japanese.

[ArmyTeach]

My mom was a single girl living with a friend in a bungalow somewhere around the base of Diamond Head. It was a small island and young, attractive single women had no trouble socializing. Lots of young, single military men and she knew many of them. She was up and about that Sunday morning and heard the announcement over the radio:"This is not an exercise. Repeat, this is not an exercise." Went out on the lanai and watched in total disbelief as the bombing took place.

[ArmyTeach]

I always have a way of commemorating the day at work - ask the soldiers what is the significance of this date.
My dad was a submarine skipper with his sub (Sculpin) in Manila. It was assumed that the first attack would be at Manila, so all subs were completely ready to pull out with a 30 days supply of rations. But Pearl was bombed and the ships pulled out of Manila. My dad found that his sub had a 30 day's supply of SPAM - the kind that comes in cans. He lived on coffee and Hershey bars for the next 30 days and never allowed Spam in our house. The young officer who stocked the Spam never heard the end of it, I'll bet.

[Ciexyz]

7:00 AM Pearl - 12 PM Boston

My Dad, who's gone now, said that he was studying with his fellow engineering students up at Penn State. When they heard over the radio that Pearl Harbor was bombed, it was a very sobering moment. "We knew we were going to war," my Dad said.

My Dad and his mates joined the ROTC program as the school put them on an accelerated program so they could graduate early. Then my Dad went on active duty in the US-Army Air Force.

[Ciexyz]

My Dad always liked to recall Pearl Harbor when December 7th rolled around every year. I used to call him and ask, "By the way, Dad, what were you doing back on Dec. 7, 1941?" He loved to reminisce. The media, newsbroadcasts used to make a big deal out of the date, now they hardly mark it at all.

[G.Mason]

Very interesting. Thanks for that.