WAR Anybody here that remembers Dec 7, 1941, a day that shall live in infamy?

[33dInd]

No. But yes
It was raised into my youth by my parents to disuse the japs
My dad was guarding a couple b17 at Wiley post air field. Pre tinker field

Dad had a cousin Kia at pearl
Mom was with her mom in the kitchen

Dad did all fours years of the war in the European theater

Irony of that and he always laughed about it
He had a two year enlistment that was up on December the 10. 1941

 

[dlee]

I was born in 1966. My neighbor that recently died not only did he serve at Pearl Harbor but he was also a captive at the River Kwai .... I don’t remember the exact name so three strikes against me, but he was one of 5he last survivors. He died this past summer and the Navy showed up every year for the past five years over his house to salute him. And he was a liberal.... a yellow dog Democrat.

Did he vote this year?

 

[ellsworth848]

I was only 4 months old so my memories of Dec 7 were of hearing my parents generation talk about that day. I do recall hearing the radio news broadcasts in 1944 - 45 that always started with " ... and now the news from the war". There was always great interest in the latest developments as I had one uncle in the army fighting in Europe, another uncle (an MD) doing field surgery in North Africa and Italy, another uncle who was a Navy pilot flying recon over the South Atlantic out of Recife Brazil, looking for Nazi Uboats as well as several cousins of my parents who were mostly Army fighting in France and Germany. Dec 7th brought patriotism to new heights with every house in our small Iowa town flying a flag thoughout the war, bond sales events, and just everyday conversations on the street. I never again felt the patriotic "fire" in the air again until I attended my first Trump rally in 2015. Now, as in post Pearl Harbor days, the survival of the United States of America is at stake. May this generation respond as did "The Greatest Generation"

 

[Dennis Olson]

One would have to be about 90 to remember Pearl.

 

[Mark Armstrong]

Shortly before my mother died I asked her if she remembered that day. She said she remembered it vividly. She was 18 and at the family farm. They heard the news on the radio, and of course that was all they talked about for the rest of the day, as they listened to the radio for updates.

I didn't get around to asking my father about his memories of that day before he died. Prior to that date he enrolled in the Casey Jones Aeronautical School, then joined an Eagle Squadron and was servicing Spitfires during the Battle of Britain before the U.S. entered the war. So he probably got the news of the Pearl Harbor attack while already in uniform and having seen combat.

After the U.S. joined the war, Dad transferred or reenlisted from the Eagle Squadron to the Army Air Corps, and then serviced P-47 Thunderbolts, as well as various bombers. I think he did get to fly a bomber for a few hours, but his eyesight was too poor to be a regular pilot.

He told me that he was sort of a personal mechanic for WWII ace Gentile, and was the only one that Gentile would permit to load the machine guns on his aircraft. The name Gentile was pronounced jen-TILL-lee. I don't recall Gentile's first name, but a quick internet search suggests it was Don Gentile.

 

[blueridge]

The uncle I never met is entombed on the Arizona -

he was 18 yrs. old ( I wasn't born yet)

 

[Troke]

Did you ever get your song played?

I don't know. Our synapses were so fried by the news that if they played, it made no impact.

The house is gone now, taken down in 1996 at age 100 yrs, my brothers and I still survive of the group there, the rest are gone too.;

 

[Sneaker 11]

My Dad was drafted right after Dec 7. I recently received his graduation certificate from my Aunt. He graduated from 13 weeks of training at Camp Roberts in Cali. Training began on 13 Jan 42 and he was trained in heavy weapons, and carried the BAR. He fought on New Guinea, was severely wounded at the battle of Buna. He survived, healed and returned to battle. Later fought on Luzon and was discharged in late Oct 45. I never was able to really have a chance to discuss his experiences in WWII, because my parents divorced when I was four. He was very closed about it even after I came home from VN and was able to get to know him a little later in his life.

11

 

[Gitche Gumee Kid]

One of the women I talked to said she was in highschool and her class had about 30 students in it..........about 20 of them were boys................she said when the attack happened during the weekend the next day when they showed up for class there were 10 girls in the class..........all the boys that morning left to go enlist................

<-----------------------------------------------------o----------------------------------------------------------------------->
I wonder what the class size would look like today. My cynical comment of the day.

GGK 8/17/35

 

[Dozdoats]

Mom was born in 1927. Her dad had taken her to look at a house he was considering buying when the news came in on the radio. They decided to stay where they were living (in the house my grandmother's adoptive parents left to her) and did not buy the house they went to look at.

 

[Cowgirl4christ]

This always brings me to tears. “I Fought for You”

View: https://youtu.be/AgYLr_LfhLo

 

[Cardinal]

The Attack on Pearl Harbor Was No Surprise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1niZil4lNjU Researchers about the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor know that President Franklin Roosevelt had provoked this Japanese attack to justify America’s entry into World War II. Most Americans were against joining the war, but the attack on Pearl...

theduran.com

View: https://youtu.be/1niZil4lNjU

RT 9 minutes


Researchers about the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor know that President Franklin Roosevelt had provoked this Japanese attack to justify America’s entry into World War II. Most Americans were against joining the war, but the attack on Pearl Harbor provided the excuse needed to declare war. The best book on this topic is “Day of Deceit” by former World War II Navy officer Robert Stinnett. The topics he covers are controversial because most people refuse to accept that Roosevelt and top military leaders in Washington DC failed to inform the commanders in Hawaii that a Japanese fleet was coming to attack.

 

[Dozdoats]

How many Demoncrats ever saw a war they didn't like? Including Frank The Cripple.

 

[Carl2]

Thanks, Cardinal. I will never forget that it was President-for-life Frank Roosevelt who set the US up for the Pearl Harbor attack, presumably to get the US to come to the rescue of his adored Joe Stalin. My mother served the entire war as a surgical nurse in the Army Air Corps, mostly in the Pacific, including on Corregidor.

 

[Ragnarok]

How I wish, now, that mom were alive to see how everyone has smart phones.... when I think of how those old crank style telephones have evolved into these miraculous smart phones, it would make her head spin! But, when I really think about it, maybe she would shake her head and wish herself back into the “good old days” when at least, she was used to how things were. ( To be honest, I do, too!, sometimes!)

I would give anything to go back to the days before cell phones. I loathe them!

And, while I appreciate the internet, growing up without it was nice, too.

IMHO, technology has gone too far.

 

[Troke]

The Attack on Pearl Harbor Was No Surprise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1niZil4lNjU Researchers about the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor know that President Franklin Roosevelt had provoked this Japanese attack to justify America’s entry into World War II. Most Americans were against joining the war, but the attack on Pearl...

theduran.com

View: https://youtu.be/1niZil4lNjU

RT 9 minutes


Researchers about the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor know that President Franklin Roosevelt had provoked this Japanese attack to justify America’s entry into World War II. Most Americans were against joining the war, but the attack on Pearl Harbor provided the excuse needed to declare war. The best book on this topic is “Day of Deceit” by former World War II Navy officer Robert Stinnett. The topics he covers are controversial because most people refuse to accept that Roosevelt and top military leaders in Washington DC failed to inform the commanders in Hawaii that a Japanese fleet was coming to attack.

The topics he covers are controversial because most people refuse to accept that Roosevelt and top military leaders in Washington DC failed to inform the commanders in Hawaii that a Japanese fleet was coming to attack.

Really? The Naval Commander knew his Intelligence had lost track of the Japanese High Seas Fleet. There was a war warning that maybe they ought to get prepared for such. Most likely avenue of air attack was from the N-NE and they had enough planes to cover that area. It was known that Japanese naval doctrine sent submarines ahead of the main fleet.

So did the Army disperse its planes against air attack? Nope, they lined them up in rows to guard against sabotage. They were not thinking war.

Did the Admiral have a direct line from patrolling destroyers to let him know of submarine contact. Nope.

Did the Army/Navy send out scout planes into the NE quadrant that Navy exercises in 1932-33 had indicated the most likely direction of attack? Nope

The military was paralyzed by bureaucratic constipation and not thinking war. As for FDR, he wanted to fight Hitler and was doing his best to get Hitler to declare war. The Pacific war was a distraction that only America's massive industrial might was able to overcome. Luckily for FDR, Hitler declared war.

 

[Michiana MaJo]

Dennis said “One would have to be about 90 to remember Pearl.”

I’m pushing 88, Dennis!

 

[Troke]

I would give anything to go back to the days before cell phones. I loathe them!

And, while I appreciate the internet, growing up without it was nice, too.

IMHO, technology has gone too far.

When I watch my grand kids and grt grand kids on the computer, I wonder what affect this might have had on my Grandfather Troke who left Bohemia in 1878 and never went back. We have small grandchildren we have seen physically only once since last March. However, they are on the ipad at least once a week, they talk to us and we talk to them. Poor replacement for the real thing, but a whole lot better than nothing.

 

[Michiana MaJo]

Thanks for posting the info that FDR instigated the attack on Pearl Harbor by angering the Japanese,
Cardinal......that’s still unknown by so many people.

I knew a WW2 vet and he could not accept that...it is probably too painful for a WW2 survivor to easily accept the information that our President caused us to get in such a horiffic war with such massive loss of lives, when the Japanese really attacked us because FDR had cut off their crucial oil supply, knowing they would be desperate!

 

[Troke]

Thanks for posting the info that FDR instigated the attack on Pearl Harbor by angering the Japanese,
Cardinal......that’s still unknown by so many people.

I knew a WW2 vet and he could not accept that...it is probably too painful for a WW2 survivor to easily accept the information that our President caused us to get in such a horiffic war with such massive loss of lives, when the Japanese really attacked us because FDR had cut off their crucial oil supply, knowing they would be desperate!

There was a "China Lobby" that had tremendous influence. I don't know how but they got FDR to stop selling "aviation spirits" to the Japanese. The Japanese air force was slaughtering the Chinese because the Chinese had no air. For reasons not clear, that was read by the Japanese as all oil. Now why could not the Japanese get sufficient oil from Java where there were oil wells with oil on the market? Maybe the Dutch had an embargo too? Maybe it was the Japanese Greater East Co-Prosperity Sphere that had them spooked?

Good question.

 

[Dennis Olson]

Ref Troke’s post 56, it’s said that the American military is always fighting the previous war. His post confirms that.

 

[Dozdoats]

The Japanese didn't stop him, but bureaucracy and a bug (quarantine) did.

Pearl Harbor survivors will not attend Dec. 7 ceremony ...
Pearl Harbor survivors will not attend Dec. 7 ceremony
Lou Conter: The 99-year-old WWII veteran, one of two remaining USS Arizona survivors, will not be at this year's Pearl Harbor observance STAR-ADVERTISER / DEC. 7, 2019

 

[RB Martin]

In Remembrance, BTTT. This is the 80th anniversary.

 

[JF&P]

This thread brought me to tears.... My dad was a cook with Patton at the battle of the bulge.

 

[PghPanther]

Holy crap! I've heard stories about the cheers that went up as those under fire, and those wounded, saw that ship as it emerged through the smoke and flames to go meet the attack. It was a huge morale boost. Damn!

I know that story but the pic above is not a cruiser.....that's a battleship and probably the USS Nevada that tried to make a run out of the harbor .........

 

[kenny1659]

My cousin was there...Admiral Robert Bentham Simons On December 7, 1941 Simons was the commanding officer of the cruiser "USS Raleigh" when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Though his ship was hit by a torpedo, a bomb and other fire, the "Raleigh" did not sink and her crew is credited with shooting down five enemy aircraft. He pulled his ship out of its berth and set sail directly into the Japanese onslaught. They maintained fire for two hours and did not lose a man.

In 1948 he was awarded the Legion of Merit and Combat "V" and his citation said that "his ship fought gallantly as the furious bombing continued for two hours and by his effective maintenance of material readiness and his resourcefulness in damage control measures, he succeeding in holding to a minimum the damage to the Raleigh".

He is buried in the Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston, SC along with many more of my family members.

Small world! My wife's uncle was a gunner on the Raleigh. I met him once when they honored the Pearl Harbor Survivors and the opening of the GHW Bush museum in Fredericksburg TX.
He told me that after the battle when he went to get out of his gunner's seat there was an unexploded bomb stuck in the deck less than 10 ft. from his gun. He passed some 5 or so years ago.

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

Personally, I don’t remember Pearl Harbor. i wasn’t born yet.

But my Sas would remember it -God rest his soul - if he was still here.

My dad served on baby air craft carriers during the war. He got to the Pacific right before the battle of MidWay, and was sent up to the Allution Islands near Alaska, to serve as a diversionary force to throwbthe Japanese off guard while the main fleet mobilized for action at MidWay.

After that, he served in all the island hopping - bloody Tawawa, Guadalcanal, and others. Every so often, his ship would pull into Pearl, and he said the SMELL was something he would remember the rest of his life. It was a nasty combination of burning oil, burned flesh, and other stuff. The smell lingered on years after the bombing.

God bless all the men who served in the Pacific during the war.

 

[RB Martin]

Here is artwork done by my cousin Dru Blair of Pearl Harbor that fateful morning. The Raleigh is figure 31 and sailed around the island past "Battleship Row' and into the Japanese wave.

 

[SlipperySlope]

My father was the baby in the family but his 2 older brothers both joined the Navy ASAP. They were both pilots. Even his older sister went to Washington to work for the government. Thank God they all came back. My Dad was only 9 when it happened but he knew it was bad news by the looks on his Mother and Grandparents faces when the news came on the radio.

 

[jward]

 

[WanderLore]

Transported Leo James a few times on the rig for appts. Got his autograph.
He was a cook on the Arizona. Went down in the water and was rescued. Very nice man.

 

[33dInd]

No. But yes
It was raised into my youth by my parents to dislike the japs
My dad was guarding a couple B17 at Wiley post airfield. Pre tinker field

Dad had a cousin killed at pearl
Mom was with her mom in the kitchen

Dad did all fours years of the war in the European theater

Irony of that and he always laughed about it
He had a two-year enlistment that was up on December the 10. 1941

 

[maric]

My Dad was there. Burned 50% of his body but he made it home.

 

[jward]

Neither I nor my parents were yet born.


NBC News
@NBCNews
36m

"Hello, NBC ... It is no joke. It is a real war." Listen to the live radio breaking news broadcast to NBC during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 — 80 years ago today.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1468216071920312320

View: https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1468216071920312320?s=20

 

[ioujc]

I wasn't even THOUGHT about then>>>>I was a SURPRISE for everyone!!

However, I do remember my father talking about his experiences in the war effort>>>he was BLESSED>>><<< a land-lubber Navy man who never left the USA.

He was stationed at Norfolk, Virginia for a bit, where he had severe food poisoning from the food they got, and then later was stationed in both Seattle, Washington and Long Beach, Cali.

I recall vividly what he told me about, that by the time he went to Seattle, that the troops traveled a circumspect zig-zag route across the country, through the mountains of Colorado>>>he had BEAUTIFUL pictures he got somehow of the mountains>>>>or maybe they were just post cards, I can't recall exactly any more. I'm thinking they were postcards, because they certainly would not have allowed pictures! Back then security was taken VERY seriously and they DID KILL TRAITORS>>>>unlike the ones holding the top offices in our country today! But I digress>>>

He told me about standing guard with only a baseball bat in Seattle, because there were not enough guns for everyone. He told of one night when he was on guard duty and he clearly heard someone scuffling around. He yelled "Who goes there??">>>>No answer. Again "Who goes there??">>>no answer>>>and again "WHO GOES THERE??!!>>>no answer. He was wound up with his bat and ready to brain the Captain, who came stumbling across the gravel, sot drunk!

Can you imagine what would have happened had my Dad busted him in the head??

I also remember reading the book Hiroshima, by John Hershey in 9th grade and telling him about it and how awful the bombing we had done was>>>>I NEVER saw him so ANGRY!!

He sat me right down and we had a LONG talk about WHY we bombed them and the MILLIONS of lives that were SAVED by the bomb!! I had just never understood what was at stake.

No, my Dad never saw combat, but he was PROUD of his country and willing to fight to save it, no matter what!!

It was a TOTALLY DIFFERENT AMERICA back then!! And actually a much BETTER America!!

Please also allow me to thank and offer gracious BLESSINGS to the men who fought in WWII!! We ALL have benefited from your sacrifice!! A heart felt THANK YOU>>>>and I am GLAD I don't speak Japanese or German because of each of you!!

 

[Ogre]

I was only 3, so no memories.

 

[Troke]

The Attack on Pearl Harbor Was No Surprise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1niZil4lNjU Researchers about the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor know that President Franklin Roosevelt had provoked this Japanese attack to justify America’s entry into World War II. Most Americans were against joining the war, but the attack on Pearl...

theduran.com

View: https://youtu.be/1niZil4lNjU

RT 9 minutes


Researchers about the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor know that President Franklin Roosevelt had provoked this Japanese attack to justify America’s entry into World War II. Most Americans were against joining the war, but the attack on Pearl Harbor provided the excuse needed to declare war. The best book on this topic is “Day of Deceit” by former World War II Navy officer Robert Stinnett. The topics he covers are controversial because most people refuse to accept that Roosevelt and top military leaders in Washington DC failed to inform the commanders in Hawaii that a Japanese fleet was coming to attack.

The best thing about this theory is FDR's reading of Adolph Hitler. He knew Hitler would declare war so FDR could go after him. FDR was not interested in fighting Japan. He wanted Germany.

As for warnings, Pearl Harbor had all it needed. They ignored the signs. Just one example, Japanese naval doctrine was that submarines go in first. So did the Commander at Pearl Harbor have a system set up to notify him immediately if there were sub contacts?

Nope.

Were there sub contacts?

Yup, to the point IIRC, a destroyer actually fired on one.

A shooting situation right outside the mouth of Pearl Harbor and nobody tells the base commander?

Guess so.

And there were a host of others.

 

[Troke]

One would have to be about 90 to remember Pearl.

Good guess.

 

[Squib]

My dad was only 3 years old , but he remembered the end of the war. Dad just died about 10 months ago.

I did have several great uncles who fought in WWII.

I hear they don’t even teach about Pearl Harbor in schools in the US anymore…can you imagine that!

I will also add my sincere thanks and profound gratitude to all who fought in that war.

 

[Squib]

Good guess.

Holy Smokes! Really?

I thought you were ‘an old guy like me…I’m almost 60!’

Well, I salute you too sir!