Part 1: Pearl Harbor Day Plus 80 Years

My mom and Dad were both Survivors of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor.

I was born in Honolulu in 1949 and the attack was still a fresh memory for those who were there. I was raised around the stories, artifacts, locations, and the people who experienced that horrific day and week that followed...and then the rest of the War and Post War.

Part 1 of this story is an interview with my dad, conducted 30 years ago on the 50th Anniversary of the Attack.

Part 2 is my story, based on the stories I was brought up listening to.

Are we, as Americans today,, ready to step up lik my parents generation? In these times, with all of the national unrest, I doubt it...and I fear histories lessons may be lost to many. This is my attempt to keep the memory alive.

Watch for Part 2.

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In my Dad'd words 30 years ago, and 50 Years after the Attack:

"Today is December 7, 1991. Fifty years ago today, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. I'm going to try and tell my story, the best that I can remember, of the events that occurred on that day to me.

I was attached to the USS Medusa AR 1, which was a battle ship tender. Our duties were to repair battleships. I never was able to get back to my ship. Being married, I lived outside the base, and rated overnight liberty. The first thing that happened to me' was the woman across the street whose husband was a Chief in the Navy came out and started screaming, "The Japs are attacking Pearl Harbor!” I ran out of our house and looked up in the sky over Pearl. We weren't too far away. We were next to Hickam Field. I saw the bombs exploding in the air and the planes diving all over and I just couldn't believe what was happening. My first thought was they were having a mock battle, but I had the ¬radio on and the announcer said all personnel return to your ships. As I ran down the street, I told Lani, "You run up to the hills and hide if the Japs land. You don't want to be caught by them.

I got on the highway. We lived right near Dillingham Highway. An officer in his car stopped on his way back and picked me up. We headed towards the base and before we got there a plane came straight down the highway, strafing, and we ran off the highway into the cane fields and bounced along until we finally stopped, got out, and ran the rest of the way to the base. As we went through the gate, the Marines were firing at the planes with their 45's. The only thing we could to do was throw stones at them. That's how close they were

We headed toward Fleet Landing which was just a short distance away, When we got down there, there were lots of sailors coming back. The sailor on duty, said, "Report to any place on the base that you can be of help. There are no boats running, there's no possible way to get back to your own ship." My ship, the Medusa, was tied about as far away as it could be from the landing. We were on the other side of Ford Island. The battleship row was on this side. The Medusa was on the opposite side at a place called Middlelock, which was off of Pearl City. Next to the Medusa was the Curtis. a seaplane tender.

After I got out of there I became part of the crew on the Honolulu, so, actually, I was never on the Medusa on December 7th. I was on the Honolulu, a light square stern cruiser. As I look back, I don't 'remember how I got clothes. I had no money and no clothes. I guess some of the sailors in the shop had given me clothes to wear and may be an old toothbrush. I asked if could go back to my ship and they said that eventually they'd get me back. It was ten days before I got back. There was no way I could send word to Lani about what happened. I asked one of the yard workers that was working in the yard if he would stop by my house and let my wife know I was okay. This one yard worker finally told my wife and the family that I was still alive and aboard the Honolulu. After ten days, I was sent back to the Medusa with a letter stating that I came aboard and received a commendation on the work that I did while I was on the Honolulu. The first thing the kids aboard the Medusa wanted to show me was my battle station. It seems the destroyers alongside on the starboard side had destroyed the crows nest while firing at the Jap Kamikaza which dove into the Curtis. The destroyers were firing over the Medusa at the plane right through the crow's nest. If I hadn't been home, I would have been aboard the ship and would have been killed by my own bullets.

The events were terrible, even after the battle. Remembering December 7th and the things that went on when you look back seems like a lifetime ago. It's hard to believe that we lived through something like this.

I was in three Wars. I was on submarine war patrols. Nothing could compare with the sight of seeing the fleet destroyed.

I worked on and got my request approved for submarine duty. In June or July, I was transferred to the Naval station awaiting transportation back to the mainland. While there, we were sent on working parties, digging bodies out of the Arizona and some of the other ships. We were taking them up to Red Hill to be buried.

Looking back today, I hope no one has to go through this again. "This is a sorry day in our history," as Roosevelt said, "a day of infamy." Only those who were there can really understand how dreadful, how horrible it all was. I think the wound I got from the ships or from the planes that day is a small thing to happen, compared to what could have happened."

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I promised mom and pop that I would continue to tell the story. These days, I question our resolve as a nation and as a people to fight for freedom.

"Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got til it's gone." (Joni Mitchel)

For more Stories of the history of this time:

http://MyParadiseCompleted