Pearl Harbor

My father enlisted in the Navy at 17 years of age (lied about his age). He had tried the year earlier at 16 - they wouldn't take him. He wouldn't talk much about his experiences in the submarine services . . . but every once in awhile he'd tell a story. Is hard to imagine how young most of our fighting men were - and how many died for the freedoms we all enjoy. To them, the heros never came home . . . to myself and my two brothers, we lived with one.

Thank you to all who have served - or are serving - bless you all!

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My father's bother became a swabbie (like that?) in 1937. I think. No references available.


Served on fleet tugs and there stuff.


A CFC for most of the war in Mississippi (USS BB41).


Was there for the last exchange between battleships.
 
My father's bother became a swabbie (like that?) in 1937. I think. No references available.


Served on fleet tugs and there stuff.


A CFC for most of the war in Mississippi (USS BB41).


Was there for the last exchange between battleships.

Your Uncle's ship fired the historic last salvo between battleships during the battle of the Surigao Strait. Transferred from the Atlantic Fleet after Pearl, the Mississippi was on station in the Pacific for the remainder of the war, suffering two separate kamikaze attacks, and a main turret expolosion that killed 43 men. She was present in Tokyo Bay for the Japanese surrender. You can well be proud of your uncle, and we all thank him for his service.
 
An incredible time and a horrible time. (WWII)
Rendered honors on numerous occasions at Pearl. I want to say this one
was Rimpac (Hawaii) around 2006, when I ran a reserve crew for the
Military Sealift Command doing underway replenishment.
 

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Sadly, our youth know very little of this.

I saw a 15 year old in my surgery last week . He needed follow up and I booked him an appointment time for Dec 7 . I asked him what was important about this date and he had no idea . I told him to go away and research it. What was sadder is his mother had no idea either. -Karl
 
While i can't tell you the exact date of pearl harbour from memory, i wasn't totally unaware of it. What does annoy me is that the festering den of terminal mental illness that is social media is filled with under 30s who think pearl harbour was unfair to the japanese and hence 'racist'. Just one of near infinite reasons to E.M.P. social media.

A history teacher i knew said he hated the movie "Pearl Harbor" as in his mind it was horridly inaccurate. So he told.
 
While i can't tell you the exact date of pearl harbour from memory, i wasn't totally unaware of it. What does annoy me is that the festering den of terminal mental illness that is social media is filled with under 30s who think pearl harbour was unfair to the japanese and hence 'racist'. Just one of near infinite reasons to E.M.P. social media.

A history teacher i knew said he hated the movie "Pearl Harbor" as in his mind it was horridly inaccurate. So he told.

EMP as in "nuke" social media?
I couldn't agree more. Not a fan.

Your history teacher...... was he/she there at P Harbor?
I was on active duty and close enough to view the twin towers during 9/11.
Even that doesn't allow me to comment on P Harbor.
 
The most accurate depiction of the Pearl Harbor attack is very well done in the movie:
Tora Tora Tora.
A great movie. Rent it, you won't be disappointed
Jim
 
I'm not sure when they filmed Tora Tors Tora but I do remember that I was returning from Viet Nam on the USS Dynamic, (minesweeper) and we pulled in to Pearl Harbor and I was in the rear steering (under deck) and when I came out after we docked I saw all these planes in the air and wondered what was going on???? Quite a scare since I didn't know that the filming was taking place.
BILL WELLS EM2
 
An incredible time and a horrible time. (WWII)
Rendered honors on numerous occasions at Pearl. I want to say this one
was Rimpac (Hawaii) around 2006, when I ran a reserve crew for the
Military Sealift Command doing underway replenishment.

I was there during the dedication in May, 1962. I'd hoped to actually attend, but couldn't get anywhere near due to high attendance, and only had 8 hours liberty from my troop ship. It was my 3rd and last voyage that put into Pearl, and I was more interested in catching me a little island girl anyway!
 
Hi All, I just got the opportunity to do some catching up here on the Barn. I asked my 84yr old mother the other what day it was. Her mind isn’t so sharp anymore. When I told her it was Pearl Harbor day she got very emotional. She told me how one of her Uncles ( my great Uncle) was at Pearl Harbor the day of the attack. She said he survived but was never the same as the man they all knew. When he returned home his life/family I guess just fell apart. This was PTSD before it became something recognized. The young man in the pic is another great Uncle from the same family. He was killed in action in Burma in June 1944, just a few weeks after he turned 20. He/his remains have never came home. It hurts to know that this young man is most likely still in Northern Burma instead of Home. His family never knew what had happened to him, just that he was listed as KIA. It wasn’t until within the last year we learned he was one of Merrill’s Marauders in Burma. These people made such great sacrifices for us. I have and will always have nothing but the greatest respect for all of our Armed Forces, past, present and future. Don.
 

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I may be the only WWII veteran here on fordbarn.

US Army 29th Division, served in Europe, Omaha Beach to Germany, infantry rifleman.

9th Air Force, Army of Occupation, Germany, in an Air Engineering Squadron running Squadron Supply.
 
I may be the only WWII veteran here on fordbarn.

US Army 29th Division, served in Europe, Omaha Beach to Germany, infantry rifleman.

9th Air Force, Army of Occupation, Germany, in an Air Engineering Squadron running Squadron Supply.


Thank you SIR. You are a rare breed!


Japan is a very different place now, an ally.
 
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I may be the only WWII veteran here on fordbarn.

US Army 29th Division, served in Europe, Omaha Beach to Germany, infantry rifleman.

9th Air Force, Army of Occupation, Germany, in an Air Engineering Squadron running Squadron Supply.

You are the Greatest! Thank you!
 
Barnstuf, what Tinker said goes for myself also. Thank You Sir! My 1st boss right out of high school was a sailor in WW2. He was in Pearl Harbor a few months after the attack. He always said there was really no way to fully describe it. I think I’m down to only knowing 1 WW2 vet now. All have passed on. He’s a 96 year old gentleman. He was in the 101st airborne, Screaming Eagles. He very infrequently would tell his son about D Day, Normandy, etc..
 
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