December 7

[VanWinkle]

Brothers will be taking dad to the local American Legion for the ceremonies tomorrow. He will be one of two survivors attending. His duty after the attack was to prepare the bodies for burial or shipped back to the mainland. At age 97 he is one of a few that remembers the day. Please fly your flag tomorrow.

God Bless your father!! He is the last of a great generation.

VW

 

[VanWinkle]

God Bless your father!! He is the last of a great generation.

VW

My father was in the Naval Air Corp and fought in the Pacific theater.

He always spoke of the good times he had in the Navy and seldom talked
of the hard times. His brother, my uncle, lost a leg on Iwo Jima and still
lives to this day. He had had a great life and still speaks of what "had" to
be done.

VW

 

[Gumby]

Back in the 1960's, when I was in grade school, I lived literally in the middle of Pearl Harbor in the Navy base housing. If we went down the street from our house a little way, we could still see the wreckage of the USS Utah. The USS Arizona was on the other side of Ford Island, but we saw the memorial regularly when we went to church at the sub base. There was also a plaque on the shore near our house marking the spot a Japanese mini sub was sunk during the attack. When I went hiking with the Boy Scouts up in the mountains above Aiea, we could see one of the crashed Japanese planes in an inaccessible ravine. Because of these things, there was still very tangible sense of the attack, even 25 years later, and we all grew up knowing that such a thing could happen, and then you would have to go to war.

 

[Free To Canoe]

Thanks.

 

[jazz4cash]

Starting to feel like I shouldn't have posted this.

I'm glad you did also. Thanks for sharing. It's valuable insight. My oldest sibling was 4 months old. My family hardly ever speaks of that time. It's good to be reminded that everyone was affected even if only by way of rationing (which my mom did mention occasionally). Now days we have a very few volunteers making huge sacrifices on our behalf (right or wrong) while most of us are barely affected. Can we really afford guns and butter?

 

[Texas Proud]

Interesting that I was over at my mom's condo working on cleaning it out to sell and came across a number of items about my dad... also found a ration book that looks like it was not used...


Dad was not drafted at first as he was a welder and was doing work here... at one time building some of the ships... but from what mom said got 'prickly pear' (have never looked this up, she said he lost a lot of his skin)... so since he was not working they drafted him...


He worked here as a clerk and also at POW camps... total time in was 13 months..

 

[aja8888]

My Dad was on a minesweeper in the South Pacific between 1943 and 1945. He saw action and manned the only gun on the boat. The Jap Zero's used to use the U.S. minesweepers for target practice to sharpen their skills because they were smaller craft. He made it home, but had a few scars he never talked about. I have one picture of him and the crew onshore in Hawaii when they came into port.

My service was 1964 - 1968 US Air Force, Vietnam conflict.

I lost my signup buddy in 1966 and his twin brother, who joined the Marines, was never found.

My best friend here in Texas flew helicopters in Nam and has some lead still in him that the Army wouldn't take out. He was shot down three times, but made it out each time.

 

[timo2]

OP: thanks for posting. Everyone that fought and/or suffered in WW2 is a hero. Everyone that fought and/or suffered in any war is a hero. Don't take the cynicism personally. I think the cynicism that bubbled up is that since WW2 wars and battles are started (but undeclared) and become never ending wars. One war just melds into another. It is understandable that people get tired of always being at war with no end.

 

[Ronstar]

Thanks for posting, OP. I enjoy stories from the greatest generation. And appreciate the sacrifice of all war veterans.

 

[timo2]

My Dad was in the Army Air Force in New Guinea during WW2. Ended up an Ace, Received the Distinguished Service Cross, came home and had a great and productive life. Now deceased. He is missed.

 

[steelyman]

WWII didn’t start on Dec 7, I bet many in Europe would say.

 

[Sunset]

U.S. Casualties... and more detail on the speech itself. https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2001/winter/crafting-day-of-infamy-speech.html

Amazing how people were very very keen to go fight, true believers in a cause. Even though the death besides being the largest number, was also even more incredibly a much larger percentage of the population.

It has taken many wars, but we are slowly learning to not be quite so eager to march off to war whistling...

 

[deserat]

My grandfather flew the "hump" in China - back then the range of aircraft wasn't like today, so he had to fly down to South America, then fly across to Africa and then to where he flew over the Himalayas. He did not speak much about his time there, but my father knew and told me. My father flew in Vietnam - early - 1966.

imoldernu - thank you for posting.

 

[Winemaker]

Makes me nostalgic for when our wars only lasted four years.

But in those days, war was when you killed and broke things until the other side gives up and capitulates. Issues were resolved.

Starting with Korea, we never settled issues, and they keep coming back to bite our a$$e$.

 

[Tom52]

I once knew a man that served in WWII. He never liked to talk much about it, except maybe to tell some funny story about his old war buddies, or to say how bitterly cold it was to sleep in the bottom of a trench during the winter of 1944. I remember one time he did tell me about the re-occurring bad dreams he had for many years after it ended.

I was privileged to have been able to accompany this old man a few years ago to the Washington DC on a WWII Honors Tour. By then he was pretty much wheelchair bound and dependent on my assistance. I remember visiting at the WWII Memorial and standing in front of a large display of gold stars on a blue field and reading how each of the 4,048 stars represented 100 Americans who died in the war. The old man commented that back then there was no body armor like there is today.

What courage it must have taken to face down an enemy with only a thin shirt between your enemy's bullet and your heart. The old man had plenty of courage. I didn't have to see the two Bronze Stars and Purple Heart this man had received for his service to this country to know it. I saw it every day in the way he lived his life. He is gone nearly 5 years now. I still miss my Dad every day.

 

[Texas Proud]

WWII didn’t start on Dec 7, I bet many in Europe would say.

I must have missed it where someone said it started on Dec 7th..


For the US, Pearl Harbor was the incident that made the US enter the war officially...

 

[VanWinkle]

I once knew a man that served in WWII. He never liked to talk much about it, except maybe to tell some funny story about his old war buddies, or to say how bitterly cold it was to sleep in the bottom of a trench during the winter of 1944. I remember one time he did tell me about the re-occurring bad dreams he had for many years after it ended.

I was privileged to have been able to accompany this old man a few years ago to the Washington DC on a WWII Honors Tour. By then he was pretty much wheelchair bound and dependent on my assistance. I remember visiting at the WWII Memorial and standing in front of a large display of gold stars on a blue field and reading how each of the 4,048 stars represented 100 Americans who died in the war. The old man commented that back then there was no body armor like there is today.

What courage it must have taken to face down an enemy with only a thin shirt between your enemy's bullet and your heart. The old man had plenty of courage. I didn't have to see the two Bronze Stars and Purple Heart this man had received for his service to this country to know it. I saw it every day in the way he lived his life. He is gone nearly 5 years now. I still miss my Dad every day.

Thanks for a great story about your late father. I miss mine everyday also.

VW

 

[Rianne]

We cannot forget this history. Two wars were going on at the same time for different reasons. My dad, a medic in WWII, rarely spoke of the atrocities he witnessed. When he did speak of them, as a young girl I felt secure and appreciative of what our soldiers did for our country. The tales were shocking. How does an innocent young man/woman face the challenges put before them and return to daily life as usual? They don't.

Our youth needs to understand the consequences of war. Is war worth it? I believe WWII was a necessary war, with the Japanese and the Germans. Beyond that era, the jury is out, in my opinion.

 

[HFWR]

But in those days, war was when you killed and broke things until the other side gives up and capitulates. Issues were resolved.



Starting with Korea, we never settled issues, and they keep coming back to bite our a$$e$.

It could be argued that WWII was a continuation of WWI, which, though my history is fuzzy these days, was a continuation of territorial/colonial wars dating from the 1800s and earlier. And, frankly, Korea, Vietnam, and much of the Middle East were drawn on the map by the Allies, or by European colonial powers, without much regard for historical boundaries, leading to later conflicts over influence, territory, and resources.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_1800–1899

 

[Offgrid Organic Farmer]

Neither of my GFs served in WWII [both had medical conditions]. One GM was a cigar chewing truck driver, she hauled explosives to an ammo plant during WWII.

My father did not serve as he had a lot of medical conditions. He was upset at me when I enlisted in 1976. I served 20 years and he never forgave me, he was mad at me for enlisting, even after I had retired from Active Duty. My career was all about the Cold War.

 

[Teacher Terry]

My grandpa fought in WW1 and my dad was in WW2. He was dating my mom and told her he would be home in a year. He was gone 4 years. He had flat feet so the army doctor said he was fit for duty but don’t put him in the infantry. They put him in the infantry. Then they made him a waiter in the officer’s mess hall. He was clumsy on the best of days but now he was in pain from all the marching. He spilled food all over a officer. The officer was screaming at him and my dad told him about his feet. He ordered him hospitalized and that saved his life. His entire unit was wiped out on D-Day he would find out a few years later. They made him a driver for the rest of the war for a very difficult officer. Since my dad was easy going it worked out fine. Recently I took a dna test and found I had a half sister from England. I don’t know if my dad ever knew.

 

[Koolau]

Thanks, imoldernu. I'm glad you helped us all remember this day of infamy.

As you might guess, Dec. 7 is an important day here on Oahu. There will be lots of activities at Pearl Harbor, though I've never braved the traffic to go on 12/7. I have been to the memorial, museum, etc. dozens of times and, if God grants me the time, I'll go many more times. The emotions of the place are difficult to describe. I felt the same way about the Viet Nam memorial. Tears flow unexpectedly. I hope to live to see the WWII memorial some day.

My ancestral family was quite small. Only an uncle fought in WWII. He was a Navy Chief and saw much action in the Pacific. According to my mom (married to his brother) he couldn't stop talking about the war for a couple of years. Then, he came to some sort of peace with it and rarely spoke of it again.

According to DW, my FIL wanted to talk it out about his experiences in the pacific (he was an amphib driver) but his wife (my MIL) would not let him talk about it. In later year, when FIL and I got a chance to go off by ourselves, he would tell me stories. One of his saddest stories was about one of the landings he participated in - can't recall the campaign. They had loaded several amphibs, and to space them properly for the actual landing, they had these machines form a circle (sort of like we do now at airports when traffic is heavy.) I have seen lots of invasion videos where you see such a circle behind the troop transport. In this case, there was some SNAFU and the amphibs began to run out of fuel. These floating chunks of metal were barely sea worthy in good weather. When there were swells and boat wakes, the amphibs flooded. Only the bilge pumps kept them from quickly sinking. As fuel ran out, many sank and most of the men drowned. Not sure why I related this story on this thread, but maybe I just need to get it out. Can't even imagine what it would have been like to live the actual experience.

A dear friend was 23 on Dec. 7. He was a Navy man stationed on shore at Pearl. He watched the whole attack as he reported to his duty station from his quarters. He spent the next 4 years on 3 ships, all of which were shot from under him. One of his duties was to shine a light from a mine sweeper as they were looking for enemy periscopes within a convoy. You might guess the results. His best friend was hit by a shell - intended for his light as the buddy stood a few feet away from my friend. I guess mine-sweepers were considered expendable in those days. It took my friend many years to forgive the Japanese - though by sheer will (and grace) he eventually did so.

Thanks again, imoldernu. Though I never served, I have the highest respect and gratitude for those who did. Remember Pearl Harbor! YMMV

 

[timo2]

It took my friend many years to forgive the Japanese - though by sheer will (and grace) he eventually did so. YMMV

I recall the first time my Dad saw a Mitsubishi car back in the 80's. His first reaction was to blurt out "hey I shot some Mitsubishi's down".

 

[Milton]

The beginning of four years of war.

The beginning of the war for a reluctant USA, but other free nations had already been voluntarily fighting fascism for over two years. E.g., the French military suffered ~80,000 fatalities in the Battle of France (May-June 1940).

 

[aja8888]

I guess mine-sweepers were considered expendable in those days.
YMMV

My Dad spent two years (1943 - 1945) on one floating around in the South Pacific ports dodging all kinds of artillery. He did make it home and was one lucky guy.