Tomorrow is Pearl Harbor Day. As FDR said, “A Day that will
live in infamy.” But as with many crises, the day before, December 6, was like
any other day. The weather in Hawaii was pleasant, and the night sky bright
with a nearly full moon. Some of the soldiers and sailors stationed at Pearl
had gone ashore to clubs and parties. Others were attending the charity dance
going on at Hickam Airfield. Parked on the macadam outside the dance hundreds
of fighter planes were lined up in neat rows.
But a mere 220 miles away from Oahu dozens of Japanese ships
awaited the signal to launch the attack.
Myriad eyewitness accounts exist of the attack on Pearl
Harbor. From servicemen to newlyweds to high school students, they all said the
same thing. They has arisen and gone about their Sunday morning routine-some to
church, others to breakfast, still others to work. Never believing for a minute
they would be victims of an air attack from a foreign country.
Despite the fact that relations with the Japanese were
strained, most Americans were more concerned about what was happening in Europe
than a potential attack from the Far East. Many U.S. citizens didn’t know where
Hawaii or Pearl Harbor were located.
Then it happened.
At 7:53 AM, the first of two waves of bombings occurred. The
second one came at 9:55 AM, and by 1:00 PM, the ships carrying the planes
responsible for the attack were headed back to Japan. In their wake were over
2,400 people dead, 188 destroyed planes, and a crippled fleet that included
eight damaged or destroyed battleships.
The U.S. was in the war, whether they wanted to be or not.
And Americans were very aware of where Hawaii was located. And their knowledge
of geography increased as the war raged on. My father was a young child, but
still recalls the maps plastered across the front of the Baltimore Sun. And the battle cry “Remember Pearl Harbor” that
galvanized our country to action.
Do you remember what you were doing during one of the
terrible milestones in our country’s history-JFK’s assassination, MLK’s
assassination, the Iran hostage situation, the attempt on President Reagan’s
life, the Challenger disaster, 9/11, the Boston Marathon event?
A freelance writer for over ten years, Linda Shenton
Matchett writes historical fiction. Her novella Love’s Harvest is available on Amazon. She is currently seeking a
publisher for her series about WWII war correspondent Ruth Brown. Visit her at www.LindaShentonMatchett.com
