Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Pearl Harbor Day
Jerry Maske
75 years ago! No talk about politics or any other crap. Just pause and remember. There's still over five hundred sailors drawing full pay entombed on the Arizona, and every time we went past it, we'd render honors.
Haven't done anything in wood as a memorial. Might be a good project for next year.
Re: Pearl Harbor Day
Barry Irby
Are there any survivors still with us?
Re: Pearl Harbor Day
David Walser
My uncle was at Pearl Harbor. His term of enlistment was up at the end of the following week. He'd been given Sunday off, so he wasn't on base when the attack started, but he was there before it finished. That evening, he was assigned sentry duty at one of the piers. Some MPs saw him and his companion walking among the wreckage and started shooting at them. His companion was mortally wounded. My uncle survived the encounter and served the remainder of the war.
He's still alive and more than willing to share his memories with anyone who asks.
Re: Pearl Harbor Day
Jerry Maske
Watch the evening news and you'll see the annual celebration with as many living survivors as there are. One is from Coastal Maine and I happened to meet him in a Sam's Club one day. Made my day.
There's a few around, but every year, a few less. That's why I posted. We need to honor them while we can.
Re: Pearl Harbor Day
Ric Taylor
Jerry, there were 1177 sailors and marines killed on the USS Arizona, and 1102 are still entombed there. That number creeps up slowly as some survivors to this day elect to have the ship as their final resting place. The part about them still drawing full pay is not true, that is just urban legend.
I lived in Hawaii and went to the memorial many times. On the 25th anniversary (50 years ago) I had the privilege of meeting and spending time with Mitsuo Fuchida who led the attack on Pearl Harbor. By that time he was a Baptist minister and had returned for the anniversary ceremonies. That is one of my favorite memories. When he passed away in 1976 he was a U.S. citizen and missionary living in a small house in Berkeley, California.
Re: Pearl Harbor Day
Jerry Maske
Well, I could have my facts wrong, but I was stationed in Pearl for six years, three of them on Ford Island and had the honor of raising and lowering the American Flag a number of times. The people involved with those ceremonies are the ones that told me about the sailors on board still getting promoted and having their pay sent to their dependents. Guess I didn't think fast enough to challenge it. Maybe it's something we can research.
My whole point in starting this post was to bring honor and recognition to some of our brothers and sisters who were there and either didn't survive, or did and deserve recognition now. This last year has seen too much crap slung around while our heroes receive nothing.
So, respond as you will. I remember standing on the Starboard side rendering a Hand Salute with tears running down my face more than once.
Re: Pearl Harbor Day
dick hines
There is one in Richmond Va. He got safely through the war, went to collage, was the Chancellor of one for years and at 90+ is still riding his full dress Harley. He has ridden his bike in every state in the union.
If you to the WALL in DC this spring look him up. I bet he will be there.
Re: Pearl Harbor Day
dick hines
There is one in Richmond. After getting through the war, he went college and became the president and chancellor of the University of Richmond.
He is 90+ and still ride a full dress Harley. He has ridden it in all 50 states.
If you go the Wall in the spring I bet you will see him there.
I hope I am still riding at 90+
A day that will live in infamy
steven antonucci
My grandfather was 15 or 16 when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He went to the USMC draft board and lied about his age to enlist the next day. He fought in Okinawa and never once spoke about the realities of war with us.
He died on December 7, 1978 from lung cancer developed from 40 years of Lucky Strikes habit started in his c-rations.
S
Re: A day that will live in infamy
Keith tompkins
My uncle Robert MacRabie fought in Iwo Jima and then Okinawa. He never said a word about it, but my mom found his letters home, where he described dead enemy bodies (expletives deleted) piled as high as you could see. I can only imagine what he and all the others went through.
Re: Pearl Harbor Day
philip f Duffy
If you have a moment look at the speech by Admiral Harris, the Pacific Forces Commander, in which he gives proper tribute to the men who died that day, and those at rest in the ships. He really tells footballer/millionaire Kaspernick what he should be doing when the National Anthem is played!
Each time I took my ships into Pearl we made a point of having crew "at the rail" to salute the fallen heroes of that day. Philip F Duffy Rear Admiral USN Retired
Re: Pearl Harbor Day
Jerry Maske
Admiral,
I DID look at that speech and know he's taking a lot of flack for his perspective. But I wanted to stand and cheer. Those moron millionaire prima donna's don't have a clue what they are doing. Years ago I almost broke one of them in half at a parade when he lit a joint and gave the honor guard the finger when they went by. Two of my Veteran friends stopped me. Afterwards, one of them reminded me that I'd spent 20 years of my life giving that brat the right to do that.
I used to ride one of the boats out to Ford Island every day and it was my honor to render honors every time we passed the Arizona. I was on a ship out there too and did the same thing. Thank you for reminding me.
Jerry A. Maske SCPO US Navy (Ret)
Somewhere, there are letters...
Steven Antonucci
I know what happened there, and I have no doubt that the soldiers fighting on the ground were all responsible for some casualties.
Never asked him. No doubt he wouldn't have answered.