Posted by Ron Carlson on December 9, 2015, 2:44 pm
I'm dismayed to realize that nobody, myself included, thought to mention Pearl Harbor Day earlier this week on this message board. It was 74 years ago but for some of you it doubtlessly still remains fresh in your memories, wherever you were and whatever you were doing when you heard the news. Peace to the memories of all of those who were lost that day.
From the Washington Post comes an article about modern-day attempts to identify the hundreds of remains of sailors and Marines who died that day when their ship, the battleship USS OKLAHOMA, was hit by numerous torpedoes and bombs. She capsized in minutes in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor, trapping them in the hull; 429 men died. Their bodies were not recovered until months later, by which time the remains were only skeletons jumbled together. They were buried as unknowns in mass graves in Honolulu. Now, decades later, the bodies have been exhumed and, using the latest scientific technology, they are slowly being identified and will be returned to their families. It is a story both sad and uplifting.
Several years ago, I noted here that the anniversary of the attack on Pearl always reminds me of a late friend who was in the Army at the time and based in Hawaii. Not long after the attack, I had a letter from him describing his experience. He and a buddy had been out carousing all night and were staggering back to their barracks when the Japanese planes appeared and began bombing and strafing. They ducked into a culvert for safety and, after looking on for a bit, his buddy observed, "Somebody's gonna get in a lotta trouble over this." Neither realized how true that was, or how much troublel there would be. -- Fran
I was three and one-half years old then so of course I remember my parents and older brothers and sisters being upset over it so I knew it was bad. My brother George served in the army and brother Richard was navy armed guard.