"Today is a Date that Will Live in Infamy"

Those were the words of President Franklin Roosevelt 75 years ago as he announced to the nation the surprise attack on the American Naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii by the Japanese Imperial Navy. The attack happened without warning and with no formal declaration of war. Every year on this day my thoughts turn to my parents who  were both there that day.

It was always my mother who told the story. It was a beautiful morning as she pulled up to the gate at Schofield barracks to pick up my father who commanded a net tender at the mouth of the harbor and was coming off duty. The sailor at the gate told her that she might find it interesting to pull over and watch the target practice that was about to take place over the bay. At 7:48am the first squadron of Japanese planes flew over the harbor, dropping bombs on the American fleet. Neither the sailor at the gate nor my mother knew that it was not target practice but an actual surprise attack until the driver of a car speeding into the base yelled to my mother, “Lady, we’re under attack , get out of here.” Instead, she drove on into the base looking for my father.. 

The attack only lasted two hours which my mother spent under the bucket of a steam shovel where she sought protection, but the entire U.S. fleet, including eight battleships were destroyed and sunk by Japanese kamikaze pilots. 2,403 American lives were lost and 1,178 were wounded. The whole harbor was an inferno. Sunken ships, drowning men, screaming kamikaze planes and chaos reigned. As soon as it was possible to leave, and without any idea where my father was, my mother left the base and volunteered for duty at the nearest office of civil defense.

The next day, the United States declared war on Japan. It was several days before Mother knew if my father was dead or alive. Perhaps, when they were reunited he didn’t feel the need to speak of it since she had been there.

Neither my brother nor I can remember ever hearing our father talk about that day or what he experienced. We had heard the story many times and didn’t think to ask questions. Now that they are both gone, I wish I had. We will never know all the answers…