It has now been 82 years since the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor...

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It has now been 82 years since the Germans attacked Pearl Harbor...

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FIFY

They have a Pearl Harbor Day memorial parade in Honolulu, with floats, marching bands, etc.,which I think is weird. Some local group from our area is marching in it this year.

It was a fun day for Japan's Navy, but, shame on them anyway.

Could have been a lot worse, but then Roosevelt knew that.



Naval History and Heritage Command Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941 Carrier Locations

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On 7 December 1941, the three Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers were USS Enterprise (CV-6), USS Lexington (CV-2), and USS Saratoga(CV-3).

Enterprise: On 28 November 1941, Admiral Husband E. Kimmel sent TF-8, consisting of Enterprise, the heavy cruisers Northampton(CA-26), Chester (CA-27), and Salt Lake City (CA-24) and nine destroyers under Vice Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr., to ferry 12 Grumman F4F-3 Wildcats of Marine Fighting Squadron (VMF) 211 to Wake Island. Upon completion of the mission on 4 December, TF-8 set course to return to Pearl Harbor. Dawn on 7 December 1941 found TF-8 about 215 miles west of Oahu.


Lexington: On 5 December 1941, TF-12, formed around Lexington, under the command of Rear Admiral John H. Newton, sailed from Pearl to ferry 18 Vought SB2U-3 Vindicators of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 231 to Midway Island. Dawn on 7 December 1941 found Lexington, heavy cruisers Chicago (CA-29), Portland (CA-33), and Astoria (CA-34), and five destroyers about 500 miles southeast of Midway. The outbreak of hostilities resulted in cancellation of the mission and VMSB-231 was retained on board [they would ultimately fly to Midway from Hickam Field on 21 December].

Saratoga: The Saratoga, having recently completed an overhaul at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, reached NAS San Diego [North Island] late in the forenoon watch on 7 December. She was to embark her air group, as well as Marine Fighting Squadron (VMF) 221 and a cargo of miscellaneous airplanes to ferry to Pearl Harbor. Yorktown (CV-5), Ranger (CV-4) and Wasp (CV-7), along with the aircraft escort vessel Long Island (AVG-1), were in the Atlantic Fleet; Hornet (CV-8), commissioned in late October 1941, had yet to carry out her shakedown. Yorktown would be the first Atlantic Fleet carrier to be transferred to the Pacific, sailing on 16 December 1941.

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The war in the Pacific is a great study in contrast of how insanely different Western and Eastern culture was at that time in history. What we defined as an atrocity they defined as honor.

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It's still insanely different but there is a lot less of that "honor" notion since Hiroshima / Nagasaki happened.

Japan has a very tumultuous and bloody civil history. It is (was?) a huge source of pride. It may still be, but it appears that pride no longer leads to any interest in war engagement.

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The war in the Pacific is a great study in contrast of how insanely different Western and Eastern culture was at that time in history. What we defined as an atrocity they defined as honor. There is no doubt that if the Japanese had the bomb in 1941 that they would have used it as a first strike weapon in the name of imperialism.

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They were sorry their envoys were delayed and the attack started before they broke off negotiations with us. That was not honorable in their eyes, but I suspect we would have reacted the same even if they had told us they were declaring war before the first bombs fell.

There was a lot of racism in the Pacific, on both sides. I have little doubt that they, and the Germans, would have used atomic weapons on us if they had had the chance.

My Uncle Steve was on the docks closest to the Arizona when she exploded. He was dug out of a bunch of crates and stacked gear where he’d been blasted off his feet into them unconscious and concussed. He and my Mom’s sister, Leona, lived in Tucson. We visited them for Christmas every two or three years there and they did the same driving to Metairie.

Every year around this time, after a Martini or three, he’d trot out his favorite Pearl Harbor recollections, Pacific war stories, his favorite jokes.

His favorite:
A black lady married a Japanese sailor after the war. Every December 7th he attacks Pearl Bailey.

Rest in Peace Uncle Steve and Aunt Leona. Y’all are missed. We’ll be together again.