Pearl Harbor

[MeeMie]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/12/0...te-in-hawaii-to-mark-73rd-anniversary-attack/


Seventy Three years to the day that Pearl Harbor was attacked.

How many of us even remember that happened?

It has special meaning to me because my father was in the first USN hard hat diver squad that went down and welded on some of the sunken vessels to raise them.

At the time, the navy didn't have hard hat divers. The first crew was trained in NYC by a commercial diving company (I think it was sparkman & stephens) and then they in turn trained more divers for the USN.

 

[Sean]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/12/0...te-in-hawaii-to-mark-73rd-anniversary-attack/


Seventy Three years to the day that Pearl Harbor was attacked.

How many of us even remember that happened?

That would pretty much depend how many posters here are over about 75, wouldn't it?

 

[MeeMie]

Or, how many picked up a history book.

 

[unregistered]

 

[MeeMie]

There's a very informative video in the first post, you might enjoy watching since you are interested.

 

[Sean]

Or, how many picked up a history book.

Pretty hard to remember an even that you read about in a book. And we'd already been fairly busy for a couple of years before it happened.

 

[Noor]

It's the traditional day to watch Tora, Tora, Tora

 

[The Greek]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/12/0...te-in-hawaii-to-mark-73rd-anniversary-attack/


Seventy Three years to the day that Pearl Harbor was attacked.

How many of us even remember that happened?

It has special meaning to me because my father was in the first USN hard hat diver squad that went down and welded on some of the sunken vessels to raise them.

At the time, the navy didn't have hard hat divers. The first crew was trained in NYC by a commercial diving company (I think it was sparkman & stephens) and then they in turn trained more divers for the USN.

One of the most disastrous and most fascinating moments of military history. There are many lessons to learn from it...many around making assumptions.

It was cool to see so many survivors of the Arizona still are alive.

 

[Bidin~Time]

To stand on the Arizona Memorial, see the flag flying from the flagpole attached to the (still commissioned) ship, and watch the rainbow created in the water from the fuel still leaking from the Arizona, and try to imagine all that the day entailed for those who had to live through it, is a memory that still takes my breath.

 

[The Greek]

To stand on the Arizona Memorial, see the flag flying from the flagpole attached to the (still commissioned) ship, and watch the rainbow created in the water from the fuel still leaking from the Arizona, and try to imagine all that the day entailed for those who had to live through it, is a memory that still takes my breath.

I have not made it there yet...but definitely on my To Do List

 

[MeeMie]

Can you imagine being a young man serving to protect your country, still naive to the devastation that could occur, good faith in the power of negotiation, trust and honor ... only to be shocked into realization of evil threatening our life and liberty.

That event woke up the sleeping tiger, enlistees flooding recruitment centers to sign up, women quitting secretarial jobs to roll up their sleeves and take over making weapons, etc.

It was the worst of times yet the best of times.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/02/RosieTheRiveter.jpg

 

[RobDownSouth]

To stand on the Arizona Memorial, see the flag flying from the flagpole attached to the (still commissioned) ship, and watch the rainbow created in the water from the fuel still leaking from the Arizona, and try to imagine all that the day entailed for those who had to live through it, is a memory that still takes my breath.

NPR had a great feature yesterday about how Pearl Harbor survivors can choose to have their cremated remains interred upon the Arizona's sunken gun deck by Navy divers after they pass away.

(that last sentence reads kinda funny, but I haven't had enough caffeine to correct it).

 

[DiskoTroop]

In keeping with the Bush doctrine of preemptive defense could the argument be made that the Japanese were justified if they viewed the US as a potential future threat?

 

[Bidin~Time]

I have not made it there yet...but definitely on my To Do List

It is definitely worth the trip.

 

[MeeMie]

A little personal tidbit, recalled from discussions with my father:

As I mentioned earlier, my father was one of a dozen hard hat divers trained by a commercial marine group on the Hudson River in Manhattan. They were a rough and tough bunch of prima donnas that pretty much could do whatever the hell they wanted to. Most higher ranking officers respected the job they were doing so well, and let a lot slide.

During his training on the Hudson River, my father was down below welding when he had orders to come to the surface (his high ranking USN older brother arrived to see him). He tugged on the air hose to pull him up, and at some point he couldn't rise ... the top of his hard hat was bumping up against something. He's thinking he's screwed because he's probably stuck under the barge. Finally the obstruction cleared and he was able to rise... only to see a dead horse half submerged drifting by.

HA!

Can you imagine that!? A dead horse dumped in the Hudson River.

 

[doowdniw]

In keeping with the Bush doctrine of preemptive defense could the argument be made that the Japanese were justified if they viewed the US as a potential future threat?

You may argue anything you wish.

 

[phrodeau]

In keeping with the Bush doctrine of preemptive defense could the argument be made that the Japanese were justified if they viewed the US as a potential future threat?

Not really, since Pearl Harbor was a sneak attack, and Bush gave Saddam 48 hours notice.

 

[MeeMie]

You can argue anything you like.

That's right.

And the reason he can, in great deal, is because of those brave ones who fought to preserve his right to life, liberty and freedom to be an asxxx .... oh nevermind, himself.

 

[The Greek]

In keeping with the Bush doctrine of preemptive defense could the argument be made that the Japanese were justified if they viewed the US as a potential future threat?

Probably a bit of a leap...but you could certainly argue that the US helped put Japan's back against the wall with the imposed oil embargo. This move as much as anything forced Japan to come up with a strategy that would quickly cause the US to back off in the Far East.

Not saying they were right...but it was their motivation

 

[phrodeau]

That's right.

And the reason he can, in great deal, is because of those brave ones who fought to preserve his right to life, liberty and freedom to be an asxxx .... oh nevermind, himself.

You're sure he's a US citizen?

 

[DiskoTroop]

The point of the question is one of perspective which is what makes the interpretation of historical events interesting. Those that feel the need to try and be insulting for no reason seem disinclined to what to think about things in an objective manner. To each there own I suppose...

 

[MeeMie]

On December 6, 1941, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt makes a fervent appeal to the Emperor of Japan for peace. There is no reply.

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Without warning, the country secretly sent hundreds of planes to the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The Japanese headed toward Hawaii with two goals: bomb U.S. ships and planes stationed at Pearl Harbor and discourage America from ever joining World War II. The Japanese bombers wreaked havoc on the base.

The Americans are taken completely by surprise. The first attack wave targets airfields and battleships. The second wave targets other ships and shipyard facilities. The air raid lasts until 9:45 a.m. Eight battleships are damaged, with five sunk. Three light cruisers, three destroyers and three smaller vessels are lost along with 188 aircraft. The Japanese lose 27 planes and five midget submarines which attempted to penetrate the inner harbor and launch torpedoes.
Escaping damage from the attack are the prime targets, the three U.S. Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers, Lexington, Enterprise and Saratoga, which were not in the port. Also escaping damage are the base fuel tanks.

The casualty list includes 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians killed, with 1,178 wounded. Included are 1,104 men aboard the Battleship USS Arizona killed after a 1,760-pound air bomb penetrated into the forward magazine causing catastrophic explosions.

In just two hours the attacks killed more than two thousand people. They destroyed nearly two hundred planes. They sunk eight huge battleships. The Japanese government met one of their goals. Their sneak attack caused irreparable damage. They didn't, however, meet their second goal. Rather than discourage the United States from entering the war, Japan's actions actually encouraged the nation to join in the battle.

 

[miles]

I have not made it there yet...but definitely on my To Do List

That and Normandy for me.

 

[RobDownSouth]

Probably a bit of a leap...but you could certainly argue that the US helped put Japan's back against the wall with the imposed oil embargo. This move as much as anything forced Japan to come up with a strategy that would quickly cause the US to back off in the Far East.

Not saying they were right...but it was their motivation

Japan was concentrating on invading China when the US instituted an oil embargo. Japan at the time got most of it's oil from America. They had to basically withdraw from China and invade southwest Asia to get the oil they needed for their war machine.

 

[JohnnySavage]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/12/0...te-in-hawaii-to-mark-73rd-anniversary-attack/


Seventy Three years to the day that Pearl Harbor was attacked.

How many of us even remember that happened?

It has special meaning to me because my father was in the first USN hard hat diver squad that went down and welded on some of the sunken vessels to raise them.

At the time, the navy didn't have hard hat divers. The first crew was trained in NYC by a commercial diving company (I think it was sparkman & stephens) and then they in turn trained more divers for the USN.

The Navy has had hard hat divers since the early 1900s. Dummy.