Posted on 12/03/2016 7:46:10 PM PST by Jyotishi
It was an emotional homecoming for dozens of Pearl Harbor survivors and WWII veterans at Honolulu International Airport Saturday afternoon.
Live bands, hula dancers and other military servicemen and women gathered around Gate 18 to help welcome our nation's bravest.
"I just want thank them for their time and what they've done to sacrifice for this nation," said Joshua Carmack, USN Chief Petty Officer.
Each hero was escorted from the plane down an isle of hugs, handshakes and aloha.
American Airlines sponsored the round-trip 75th Pearl Harbor Commemoration Flight, from Los Angeles to Honolulu, which hosted approximately 120 Pearl Harbor survivors, WWII veterans and their companions.
"I feel great," said WWII Veteran Art Staymates. "I think this is a great honor and I'm proud to be here."
"I'm very overwhelmed and very excited to be here and I just cant believe it," said Arthur Ken Allred, another WWII Veteran.
Pearl Harbor survivor, 94-year-old AJ Dunn, said it felt surreal to be back in Hawaii.
Dunn was just 19 years old when Japan launched a series of attacks on the unsuspecting Pacific Fleet.
"I'm feeling good, good to be back over here," he said.
Actor and Humanitarian Gary Sinise also made the trip.
"These are our freedom providers," he said. "We can't take that for granted and what they did here during WWII all those many years ago. We continue to benefit from that."
Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band will be performing live on Dec. 5th for a free "Honor. Gratitude. Rock & Roll" concert prior to that evening's "Movie on the Beach."
For more information about the 75th Commemoration, its full schedule and other details, click here.
http://www.pearlharbor75thanniversary.com/
You wander around and expect to see something, but it is all cleaned away. Stand on a spot where a Zero would likely have strafed you, nothing. Weird.
Wonderful for those that could make the trip.
I recommend visiting Pearl Harbor and the Arizona memorial. I imagine the ship is still bleeding oil.
He was indeed the skipper of Sculpin at the opening of WWII, and he would very likely have been in the Philippines. CMDR Lucius Henry Chappell. He racked up a significant record of taking out Japanese vessels of many kinds before turning command over to his successor when the war was well under way.
Thank you for your interest!
That should be LTC, lieutenant commander, at the time.
How exciting! It might be something for Naval historical archives.
local radio advertising about anniversary of Pearl Harbor events do not even mention that it was the Japanese that attacked on December 7th 1941
They probably don’t want to offend the current Japanese background population of Hawaii, many of them customers of their advertisers.
Weather - Hawaii Extended Forecast
http://khon2.com/category/weather/
Visited Pearl Harbor this summer
****
Is oil still bubbling up to the surface from the USS Arizona?
35 years ago an oil droplet would bubble up to the surface every 4-5 minutes,leaving a sheen on the water surface.
“Is oil still bubbling up to the surface from the USS Arizona?”
I was there last April and the guide on the memorial told me there still enough fuel in the bunkers to last another hundred years. Apparently the ship was fully fueled when it was struck.
so it was some unknown ambiguous group of bad guys that appeared out of nowhere and bombed Pearl Harbor to bits.....I don’t buy it.
Wife and I spent a week in Hawaii about five years ago. The Missouri had just come out of dry dock with fresh paint and looked fantastic.
We took the Navy launch out to the Arizona Memorial, accompanied by a couple dozen Japanese tourists.
As we approached the memorial, I caught a whiff of N6 oil, bubbling up from the BB. Someone said she had gone down with a full bunker, about two million gallons.
It was a book that I bought in the early 1990s...probably from Naval Institute Press. I recall the author’s lamenting that they put to sea from Cavite so hastily that afternoon that he left all the contents of his locker behind, including his camera.
Is it this one on YouTube?
Pearl Harbor Clash The Untold Story History Channel Documentary 2013
Published on September 28, 2013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElUjSJRR1ZE
I was surprised at how small the Arizona seemed, compared to newer naval vessels. Must have been very tight quarters, with so many men on that ship.
Hell, they are the advertisers, or own the companies.
Yes, the “black tears” still bubble up several times a day. I spoke with a couple of Park Rangers at the Arizona Memorial; they expect the oil will continue to leak for at least another 150 years; some think it may go on for another 300 years, depending on how much fuel was on the Arizona, and how the leak rate may accelerate as the hull and fuel tanks deteriorate.
Just remembered, that there is another special on the History Chanel tonight at 10 p.m. EST. It’s titled Pearl Harbor: The Truth.
My Dad’s sub was in the South Pacific at the outbreak of the war, north of Australia. Of course, they immediately went to war basis.
Today my husband and I retired in Fairbanks after his 25 plus Army career. Our house is in the hills above Fairbanks. Right now the red/gold sun is skimming the southern horizon, hovering over the mountain range. We can see Denali/Mt McKinley on a clear day like today.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.