December 7, 1941…

A day that will live in infamy…


We are down to the last few survivors of the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, and sadly, that day seems to be receding from our collective memories…


I know it will never recede from mine, since I lost relatives on the USS Arizona…


This is a copy of the air raid message received on USS Ranger, which thankfully, was at sea with the other carriers...

This is a hand drawn chart of the ship mooring assignments on the morning of December 7, 1941. There are a couple of minor inaccuracies in the rafts North of Ford Island, and the compass rose shown is off by about 45 degrees to the West.


This is the list of those lost at Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. This is the inner wall of the Arizona Memorial…

And HERE is a link to the John Ford/Glenn Toland movie created to tell the story of that day…

Take a moment tomorrow and say a little prayer for those who died that day…

Comments

December 7, 1941… — 16 Comments

  1. I most certainly will! I always view the USS West Virginia battle report from their Web site on December 7th. The newsletters aboard ship before and after the attack are a good read too.

    We owe them much and I hope to get to the Arizona soon. It is on the bucket list for me.

  2. An uncle was there. He told all his nephews what he saw and experienced. To this day, he is bitter; that poor leadership and decision making lead to so many deaths.

    When I was in the Army, we went on alert every December 7th.

  3. Thanks for reminding me, I’d almost forgotten.
    My Dad went down to enlist in the Navy the next day, and found out he was color blind. The Navy wouldn’t take him, but man, were the SeaBees ever happy to get a Journeyman Machinist!

  4. I picked up a dvd copy of Victory at Sea on the Thanksgiving drive home.

    A great reminder of the naval history of WWII. My father in law flew in the back seat of SBD’s for the USMC.

    Gerry

  5. That day permanently changed the face of modern warfare. And leads me to curse Douglas MacArthur every time I think about it.

  6. Visiting Pearl Harbor was the highlight of our trip to Hawaii last year. Standing in that memorial, reading the names, looking out at the remains of the USS Arizona is something that I’ll never forget.

    Every American should go there and no American should forget what that day means.

  7. Keads- Link please?

    WSF- At least he passed on what he saw/felt… Many didn’t

    Fuzzy- Good! Don’t EVER let them forget!

    drjim- I’ll bet!

    Supi- Good

    Gerry- I’m betting he has a story or three (dozen)…

    JR- True

    TOTW- Yeah, they should. This is the last year the survivors will actually meet at PH, it’s getting to hard for them to fly there.

  8. There are only a few THOUSAND Pearl Harbor Survivors left in the ENTIRE NATION.

    They almost didn’t insist on a retrospective this year, their numbers were so few. . .

    WHAT DO WE DO when our survivors are GONE??

    BZ

  9. Our visit to the Arizona is unforgettable. You cannot stand at the memorial and see the wall and the Arizona under water and not think of the people that went through that attack.
    Of course we had an excellent guide and got to see more than the average tourist. Thanks again for that it was amazing.

  10. Keads- Thanks, that is a SAD story…

    BZ- This is the last year the ‘rememberance’ will be held at PH, next year the survivors will gather on the mainland. Some were here in DC yesterday at the WWII Memorial.

    FM- you’re welcome

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