Attack on Pearl Harbor

Today, 66 years ago the attack on Pearl Harbor began the U.S. Armed Forces involvement in World War II.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, planes and midget submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy began a surprise attack on the U.S. under the command of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. At 6:09 a.m. on December 7, 1941, the six Japanese carriers launched a first wave of 181 planes composed mainly of torpedo bombers, dive bombers, horizontal bombers and fighters. The Japanese hit American ships and military installations at 7:55 a.m. They attacked military airfields and at the same time they hit the fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor. The battleship "USS Arizona" was hit with an armor piercing bomb which penetrated the forward ammunition compartment, blowing the ship apart. Overall, twenty-one ships of the U.S. Pacific fleet were damaged and the death toll reached 2,350, along with 68 civilians and 1,178 injured. Of the military personnel lost at Pearl Harbor, 1,177 were from the Arizona. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared Dec. 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy."

My Great Uncle, Thomas "Oakey" served in the Pacific Theater as a Forward Observer for the Army Air Corps. He was later injured at the Battle of Leyete Gulf, when the transport he was on was sunk. I had a few opportunities to listen to his stories and they were always fascinating. He has since passed but his stories and experiences remain.

I have had the opportunity to spend much time in Japan, specifically, on the southern island of Kyushu. My buddies and I 'cruised' the streets of Kumamoto getting to know the locals. I even got to train (and perhaps coach and mentor) soldiers from the Japanese Ground Defense Forces Western Army. The Japanese people I encountered were hospitable. I certainly love Japan and the Japanese people.

I am not real sure how my Great Uncle Oakey felt about his former enemy. As for me, they are my allies and friends. I want to remember and honor the soldiers, airmen, and marines who served and fought against each other 66 years ago. May we never forget where we've been; let's continue to look to the future in friendship and camaraderie.