December 7, 1941 Remember Pearl Harbor

[jgc61sr2002]

Let us take a moment to reflect and think of those who served our country and made the ultimate sacrifice. May they rest in peace.:flag:

[cruzer]

On Dec. 7, 1941 , I was 13 years old and baby-sitting with my neighbor's little boy--I heard the first radio announcement and didn't believe it--a few minutes later, a news flash convinced me that it was real---I ran back to my home and told my Mother what i had heard--everyone in our small Mississippi town spent that Sunday glued to their radios. Before the war was over, my 3 brothers had all served overseas in combat--2 came home with "Purple Stars", but alive and wounds healing. I will never forget that day. I lost many friends in WWII and I hope we will never forget the thousands who sacrificed their lives so we could live as we pleased in our free country. God Bless Them All. Maury

[AzMarauder]

Let us take a moment to reflect and think of those who served our country and made the ultimate sacrifice. May they rest in peace.:flag:

Thanks for posting this.... a very fitting day to remember.

As an aside... there is a book out called..
"Day of Deceit"
A very interesting look at the Pearl Harbor attack and everything that led up to it!

[Mad4Macs]

When I was a young pup, all Pearl Harbor meant to me was cool movies and plastic aircraft carrier models. I built many models as a kid, of Navy Fighter Jets and submarines, amphibious landing craft and, my favorite of all, battleships.
I joined the Navy, along with my best friend (and on Pearl Harbor day), and somehow ended up stationed at Sub Base Pearl.
I'd get a lump in my throat when I'd think about what happened on the very grounds where I lived, especially when visiting the memorials on base.
A few of my training courses were held on Ford Island, and yes, there were buildings with bullet holes pockmarking them.
I enlisted in 1984, did 5 years of active duty, then 2 in the Naval Reserves.
I made the grade as a submariner and was damned proud of it, too! I got to serve, briefly, on 2 guided missile cruisers as a Reservist, and every year, on Pearl Harbor day, I still get that same lump in my throat.
And I think that I always will...

[Haggis]

Let us take a moment to reflect and think of those who served our country and made the ultimate sacrifice. May they rest in peace.:flag:
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[Mike Poore]

On Dec. 7, 1941 , I was 13 years old and baby-sitting with my neighbor's little boy--I heard the first radio announcement and didn't believe it--a few minutes later, a news flash convinced me that it was real---I ran back to my home and told my Mother what i had heard--everyone in our small Mississippi town spent that Sunday glued to their radios. Before the war was over, my 3 brothers had all served overseas in combat--2 came home with "Purple Stars", but alive and wounds healing. I will never forget that day. I lost many friends in WWII and I hope we will never forget the thousands who sacrificed their lives so we could live as we pleased in our free country. God Bless Them All. Maury

Maury, as a little boy, I remember our tightly covered windows, so that no light would show at night, the neighborhood wardons who checked to make sure, and the headlight covers on dad's old Chrysler. Then, on VJ day, the celebrations and joy that it was over. And the pride, and sorrow in many households, for those who did not return. They not only saved our country; but the world.

[hitchhiker]

What a great day to put a dent in a Lexus!

:D

[Bluerauder]

Let us take a moment to reflect and think of those who served our country and made the ultimate sacrifice. May they rest in peace.:flag:
I wasn't born until September 1950, so I can't provide any personal recollections. However, December 7th and Pearl Harbor have always held a special place in my thoughts. :flag:

A total of 2,388 personnel lost thier lives on that Sunday morning. More than 80% of those losses were Navy. Almost half were aboard the USS Arizona. :( Here's a brief excerpt of the event ....

"The first wave of Japanese aircraft arrived over their target areas shortly before 7:55 am. Their leader, Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, sent the coded messages "To, To, To" and "Tora, Tora, Tora," telling the fleet that the attack had begun and that complete surprise had been achieved.

At approximately 8:10 am, the USS Arizona exploded, having been hit by a 1,760 pound armor-piercing bomb that slammed through her deck and ignited her forward ammunition magazine. In less than nine minutes, she sank with 1,177 of her crew, a total loss. The USS Oklahoma, hit by several torpedoes, rolled completely over, trapping over 400 men inside. The USS California and USS West Virginia sank at their moorings, while the USS Utah, converted to a training ship, capsized with over 50 of her crew. The USS Maryland, USS Pennsylvania, and USS Tennessee, all suffered significant damage. The USS Nevada attempted to run out to sea but took several hits and had to be beached to avoid sinking and blocking the harbor entrance.

After about five minutes, American anti-aircraft fire began to register hits, although many of the shells that had been improperly fused fell on Honolulu, where residents assumed them to be Japanese bombs. After a lull at about 8:40 am, the second wave of attacking planes focused on continuing the destruction inside the harbor, destroying the USS Shaw, USS Sotoyomo, a dry dock, and heavily damaging the Nevada, forcing her aground. They also attacked Hickam and Kaneohe airfields, causing heavy loss of life and reducing American ability to retaliate.

Army Air Corps pilots managed to take off in a few fighters and may have shot down 12 enemy planes. At 10 am the second wave withdrew to the north, and the attack was over. The Japanese lost a total of 29 planes and five midget submarines, one of which was captured when it ran aground off Bellows Field. The commander of this midget submarine, Ensign Sakamaki, became the first US captured prisoner of the pacific war.

The attack was a great, but not total, success. Although the U.S. Pacific Fleet was shattered, its aircraft carriers (not in port at the time of the attack) were still afloat and Pearl Harbor was surprisingly intact. The shipyards, fuel storage areas, and submarine base suffered no more than slight damage. More importantly, the American people, previously divided over the issue of U.S. involvement in World War II, rallied together with a total commitment to victory over Japan and her Axis partners."

[Bluerauder]

Before the war was over, my 3 brothers had all served overseas in combat--2 came home with "Purple Stars", but alive and wounds healing. I will never forget that day. I lost many friends in WWII and I hope we will never forget the thousands who sacrificed their lives so we could live as we pleased in our free country. God Bless Them All. Maury

Maury, I have heard of Silver Stars, Bronze Stars and Purple Hearts.... never a Purple Star. :confused:

Never forget ..... My mother's brother was a pilot who was killed in the Battle of Midway. I'm sad that I never got the chance to know him. Other uncles served in the 1st Infantry Division and the 3rd Armored Division.

[Fastronald]

To all my fellow Veterans................Thanks .

Fastronald

U. S. Army 1971 - 1974

[marauder307]

My fiancee took these pictures during her visit here in late October.

The following is for the lurkers/slackers/revisionist historians/and anybody else who thinks this country hasn't got anything worth fighting for:

Take a look. Take a REAL GOOD LOOK. LOOK AT IT, ****ERS!!! This is why we fight. This is why I stayed in the U.S. Coast Guard for 13 years, and why I work in the DoD IC now. This is why my father spent 21 years in harness as an Army officer (CoE), and why his father spent 2 years in the South Pacific as an enlistee in the U.S. Army Air Forces (was in Richard Bong's outfit, BTW...extra points to those of you who stayed awake in high school history and can tell me who HE was).

This is why my mother works at SOCOM in Tampa now, and why her father spent 25 years in the USAF (started in B-24s in WW2). This is why I'll be on duty through the night tonight...and tomorrow night...and why I show up for work every day/night/whenever/wherever.

This is why Gunslinger and NavChap serve. This is why JBird56 does his job. And this is why we fight now...this, among other equally good and just reasons. We tend to take it rather personally, here in America, when you come into our house and bomb the place.

There were real lives lost here...and a lot of them---way too damn many, if you ask me---are still in there. ARIZONA herself appears to weep for her lost souls; to this day an eternal oil slick stretches across the harbor, bubbling a little bit at an time from her fuel bunkers.

So get a good look...and think about it---VERY carefully.

[marauder307]

Here's some other things to ponder.

[Two Hawks]

Let us take a moment to reflect and think of those who served our country and made the ultimate sacrifice. May they rest in peace.:flag:
They, are the heroes.


To all my fellow Veterans................Thanks .

Fastronald

U. S. Army 1971 - 1974

Thank you, and all the veterans.

U. S. Army 1967 - 1970

[Mike Poore]

Here's some other things to ponder.

Well said. and thank you, dear friend. God bless you, and all who serve. :hug2:

[Petrograde]

They, are the heroes.



Thank you, and all the veterans.

U. S. Army 1967 - 1970

What ^^they^^ said

U.S. Army 1993-2002

[Marauder2005]

My fiancee took these pictures during her visit here in late October.

The following is for the lurkers/slackers/revisionist historians/and anybody else who thinks this country hasn't got anything worth fighting for:

Take a look. Take a REAL GOOD LOOK. LOOK AT IT, ****ERS!!! This is why we fight. This is why I stayed in the U.S. Coast Guard for 13 years, and why I work in the DoD IC now. This is why my father spent 21 years in harness as an Army officer (CoE), and why his father spent 2 years in the South Pacific as an enlistee in the U.S. Army Air Forces (was in Richard Bong's outfit, BTW...extra points to those of you who stayed awake in high school history and can tell me who HE was).

This is why my mother works at SOCOM in Tampa now, and why her father spent 25 years in the USAF (started in B-24s in WW2). This is why I'll be on duty through the night tonight...and tomorrow night...and why I show up for work every day/night/whenever/wherever.

This is why Gunslinger and NavChap serve. This is why JBird56 does his job. And this is why we fight now...this, among other equally good and just reasons. We tend to take it rather personally, here in America, when you come into our house and bomb the place.

There were real lives lost here...and a lot of them---way too damn many, if you ask me---are still in there. ARIZONA herself appears to weep for her lost souls; to this day an eternal oil slick stretches across the harbor, bubbling a little bit at an time from her fuel bunkers.

So get a good look...and think about it---VERY carefully.

If it were not for these guys Hitlers 3rd Rich' might have been right here

today. MadMac, I wish I could thank your brothers personally for what they

did 65 years ago...

[MarauderMike]

Over 16.5 millions Americans served in the U.S. armed forces during WWII, I can only imagine the number of people who served their country in building up the supplies neccessary to support the war effort. Women working in the factories to build airplanes, tanks, guns. Gas rationing and drives to raise rubber and used metal to build the equipment.
My father enlisted shortly after graduating high school, trained at Great Lakes Naval Station and then on to help the crew finish building the ship to which he would serve on, the U.S.S. Hopewell (oddly enough my mother was from Hopewell, OH). The ship served in the Pacific and received 9 battlestars during its tour of duty in WWII and eventually went on to Tokyo bay before returning to the states after the war.

We should never forget, or disrespect those that have served or are currently serving The United States of America.

Thank you all!

[jimlam56]

It's been on my mind all day.
Too few Americans remember that over 2000 citizens were killed that day.
I do...
Thanks Vets.

Jim

[ctrcbob]

Also, don't forget the deliberate attack on the USS Liberty (AGTR-5) by our "friends" of the IDF, on June 8th, 1967. I lost 34 Shipmates in that deliberate attack. It was the worse attack on US forces up to that time since Pearl Harbor and worse of all, it was deliberate, and our government to this day refuses to punish those who did this to an unarmed ship.

Too young to know or remember the USS Liberty?. Check out this one (of many) websites:

USSLiberty.com

I will never forget, and neither should you.

Bob.
Former crewmember of the USS Georgetown (AGTR-2), sister ship to the Liberty.

[AzMarauder]

Also, don't forget the deliberate attack on the USS Liberty (AGTR-5) by our "friends" of the IDF, on June 8th, 1967. I lost 34 Shipmates in that deliberate attack. It was the worse attack on US forces up to that time since Pearl Harbor and worse of all, it was deliberate, and our government to this day refuses to punish those who did this to an unarmed ship.

Too young to know or remember the USS Liberty?. Check out this one (of many) websites:

USSLiberty.com

I will never forget, and neither should you.

Bob.


Former crewmember of the USS Georgetown (AGTR-2), sister ship to the Liberty.


Bob,

Sadly, the military is only a tool for the politicians. What was "correct" in the sense of compensation for the Liberty was just politically traded away by politicians for other goals.

As I mentioned previously... the book "Day of Deceit" graphically illustrates how President Roosevelt and his administration deliberately goaded Japan into attacking the United States. In summary, Roosevelt felt (probably correctly) that England could not withstand Germany unless the US got into the war. However, he American public would not support a war against Germany. Since Germany and Japan had a pact, Roosevelt reasoned, if he could get Japan to attack the US, he would be able to declare war on Japan, and the German-Japanese Pact would ensure Germany declared war on the US. His plan worked to perfection.

I know this summarization sounds like I am a conspiracy theorist, but get a copy of the book and read the evidence, and then draw your own conclusions. I am not passing judgement on Roosevelt one way or the other, rather I am just trying to illustrate my opening point... the military is but a tool for politicians.