Posted on 12/07/2024 8:50:04 AM PST by John S Mosby
Pearl Harbor attack, (December 7, 1941), surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu Island, Hawaii, by the Japanese that precipitated the entry of the United States into World War II. The strike climaxed a decade of worsening relations between the United States and Japan.
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I was 8-years old when it happened and can remember it vividly...
Particularly since my Dad went into the Marine Corps in February 1942 and, after a short leave post boot camp, did not see him again until October 1945...
bttt
“I take that this was after Sunday School?”
It was a regular School day so it must have been on Monday.News didn’t get to a 6 year old as fast as it does today. I do know what I experienced.
No, it was Sunday. My mother told us many times about finding out right after they got home from church.
Excellent! Doesn’t “trigger” me. Fight for our country, which millions did, and for what the japanese Empire did to people in the Phillipines, Indochina, Hong Kong— you name it, the leadership of Japan had to answer, and mostly did. The brilliance of Gen. MacArthur was the realization of how the Soviets were trying to weasel into the power vacuum, and the essential importance of preserving Hirohito (for bad or good in a very changed Japan thereafter). Truman of course never forgave him for it—but the reality is- he saved Japan, and frankly it has proven the buffer against Mao- Maoist and Xi Peng’s recreation of the Greater Co-Prosperity Sphere the Jap Empire wanted to have.
What goes around comes around on the carousel of Communist madness.
Submarines based in Fremantle Harbour— family went to a Phillipine Island near/in the Slot to deliver a friend who was an Australian (who owned the island, a copra plantation), and volunteered to be a Coastwatcher (huge radios then) — with Filipino guerillas went over the side in rubber boats on a cloudy but full moon night to get the man to his station. Concealed up a tree with gear he called in major ship movements until approx 2 weeks later when the japs triangulated on his signal... dragged him to a prison and chopped his head off. A close friend to Americans in the Fremantle naval base then and forever remembered by those serving there. And now, fairly certain all of those veterans have passed away.
We must never forget them-— NEVER!
Thank you again! Bold, confident, GREAT Americans. And yes— we did it before in a Great America, and we can have a Great America again. It takes the willpower and yes, MOXIE like in this song!
There is a vacant chair at the tables at homes— and you see them sometimes in honor of our Veterans. We need them again... for their spirit is not gone!
Yes, indeed. There is a scene in the excellent movie about Pu Yi’s life (well worth the time, with Peter O’Toole in it as a teacher)— “The Last Emperor of China”. In the scene a dyke type chinese court “fast girl” running around Manchuquo with Jap officers and smoking piles of opium— from French Indochina. Often not spoken about— the Golden Triangle existed before during and after WWII and the Japanese milked the cash from it in their conquest— and after China wanted it to and so did the Soviets. So a proxy civil war the US could not stay out of developed. The Soviets won, because the ancient traditional enemy of Vietnam-— is now and was then... China. Some stray thoughts but this came to mind about the Vichy French (who were in that trade up to their necks).
Wonder how one would find it for playback. Doubt it is still out for sale or online purchase play, etc.
Quite a cast of known Japanese actors of the time.
Toshiro Mifune and Lee Marvin— Hell in the Pacific can still be found. More riveting than Letters from Iwo Jima, in many ways though that movie does give perspective of the desperate state of the Japanese military by that time. Fanatics and pragmatists— and an Olympic equestrian who came there and brought his horse.
There’s some historical movie sight selling it. They commissioned me so they could sell it and another Japanese propaganda movie: Tank Commander Nishizumi.
Some of their sailors were also thugs. During the Battle of Midway, two American fliers, Frank O'Flaherty and Bruno Gaido were shot down and rescued by the Japanese destroyer Makigumo (cirrus clouds). Then they were both tortured and murdered by being thrown overboard to drown. To their credit, many of the Japanese sailors refused to participate in the murder. Makigumo was later lost at Guadalcanal.
I am not disputing the day. Dec 7, 1941 was a Sunday.
What I am saying is the first I heard about the Pearl Harbor Attack was on my way home from School.
December 7th Bump.
Thanks for the video post. Very familiar. Thank you.
Family was 6 hours out of Pearl 7 Dec 1941, took the attack report over scrambled radio. Picket submarine to the USS Enterprise. Their comms with the Enterprise have been posited as the reason there was no 3rd wave attack—the Japs did not know the carriers were at sea (and in fact were not in striking flight distance, and did not have any planes on board, having delivered them to Midway) and turned tail and ran as they recovered aircraft from last strike. Yammamoto knew the strike was a failure, and though planned it- told their command only total destruction would be a victory— the US would recover quickly. Folks should not forget the simultaneous attacks on Hong Kong and the Phillipines on the “next” day 8 Dec, past the date line.
So, the memory was, “get through the sub nets”, “survive attack by trigger happy USS Ward”, come into the harbor- which was on fire with bodies on fire floating in the the water, USS Oklahoma turned over (welders cutting out the hull plates to rescue the very few still trapped inside in an air pocket), refuel at the completely intact fuel tank farm at the sub base, re-stock and leave on war patrol. A quick side trip to tear apart a Jap mini-sub beached near the base, and strip parts, the dead crew and souvenirs. In January went into Tokyo bay to survey the harbor and waypoints for the Doolittle raid.
They had left Pearl in mid October 1941 on a “live weapons free approved” war patrol against any encountered Japanese shipping. Classified still what they shot. This was of course, well before any US declaration of war (this comment reserved for the pearl clutching democrats of “two strikes” to kill two still living narco terrorists! Whahmbulance time). What would they have said about machine gunning Japanese troops in the water off a sunk troopship- because no prisoners could be taken onboard double bunked crew of 85 fleet sub. A mercy instead of leaving troop survivors to the sea and sharks.
Dec. 7th is a major family honoring remembrance day. Disgusting how media a@hhles do not still remember. The US Navy has not forgotten. Next up-— the Chineeeee Co-Prosperity Sphere to destroyed with the help of our Japanese allies. History does not repeat, it rhymes.
As America marks 84 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor, 103-year-old Captain Ken Schubring, one of the last surviving veterans of the attack, shares his vivid memories and a commitment to ensuring the story of that fateful day is never forgotten.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZRVonNomUY
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