The 9/11 of My Parents & Grandparents' Generations

Pearl Harbor

Today we observe the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor . . . Dec. 7, 1941. I have a few things to share.

My Mother's Experience

My mom was 12-years-old, growing up in Lodi in central California, not too far from Sacramento. Needless to say, the attack left people in California panic-stricken . . . & not just people on the coast. Rumors were rampant.

• California was going to be attacked next.
• California was going to be invaded.
• Perhaps most insidious at all:  CA's large population of Japanese--many of whom were loyal, American citizens--were a grave menace to the rest of the population.

One of my mom's best friends & her family were Japanese & lived, if I remember correctly, very close, maybe even across the street. [My sister may remember. I think she has my mother's diary, which includes entries for 12/7/41 & the days & weeks following.] Japanese families began to be rounded up & taken away, & as their houses & businesses were confiscated were confiscated. It was an ugly stain on our country's history.

And one morning my mom's best friend & her family were gone. And she never saw or heard from them again.

Our Time in Hawaii

We lived in Hawaii from 1993-1997. [I actually moved back to Norfolk, NE, in January, 1997, when I was called to help start Lutheran High Northeast.] We were privileged to visit the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor more than once. It's a sobering place to visit. Almost haunting. 

After watching a film at the Visitors' Center, you take a launch out to the Memorial, which straddles the sunken ship, whose outline is clearly visible in the water. An oil slick is visible on the water--the Arizona's fuel tanks were full when the ship sank.

And there are 1,102 sailors & Marines who are still entombed in the ship. And except for some stifled sobs among the visitors, it is eerily silent on the memorial.

There is also a wall with the name of all the victims engraved on it. A person can't help but be emotional.

The Mountain Pass

One of the waves of Japanese Zeroes came flying through a pass in the Waianae Mountains--the leeward (west) mountain range on Oahu--at 7:48 a.m. that morning. They came in so low that supposedly people working in the pineapple fields near Wahiawa in the central part of Oahu could see the faces of the pilots. The white cross that was erected on the pass is visible.

Hickam Air Field

Hickam is the Air Field located adjacent to the Pearl Harbor Naval Station. It was also bombed & strafed during the attack. Bullet holes on some of the buildings were patched. Hickam is a restricted Air Force base today, but we were allowed on the base several times, accompanied by military personnel. The scars on those buildings are still visible.

Our "Scenic" Views

The 2nd house we rented was a townhouse in Aiea, located just a half-mile up from Pearl Harbor. From the tiny balcony just outside our bedroom, we "enjoyed" a panorama of Pearl Harbor. The Arizona Memorial was clearly visible. [It's white & gleams in the sun.] Ford Island is also visible, & the channel that opens into the Pacific Ocean can be seen. It's easy to imagine how Battleship Row looked the morning of 12/7/41, both before & after the attack.
      There is also a hiker biker trail that followa the shoreline of Pearl Harbor. Lois & I jogged & hiked along it often. It provida more close-up views of the "attractions" I mentioned above. However, it is also aesthetically very unappealing. Part of it takes you through an industrial area, & the waters of Pearl Harbor are not the crystal clear blue waters you envision in Hawaii.

Diamond Head

Diamond Head is one of Hawaii's famous landmarks, & we hiked to the top many times. Our your way to the top you walk through two tunnels that were hewn out of the solid, volcanic rock. You also are able to access the bunkers that were constructed as observation posts & batteries . . . There was much speculation that the island was going to be assaulted, following the air assault.

Punchbowl . . . 

. . . is the crater of an extinct volcano, located closer to downtown Honolulu. It contains a military cemetery which holds the graves of many soldiers & sailors who gave their lives for their country during the Pacific Theater of World War II. This includes many of the victims of Pearl Harbor & other battles, the names of which will sound familiar, if you are knowledgable about the war. Some of these are mass graves. When we were there, many of these graves were marked as "unknown," but I think that efforts are continuing to identify the remains because of advances made in DNA technology.
      ASIDE:  Recently I saw a news article about veterans who survived the attack on the Arizona. There aren't many left. It's typical for them to be cremated & have their ashes interred with their shipmates entombed in the memorial.

Put these sites on your bucket list. You'll be glad you did.