I was sorry to see no mention of this day in our history, the 73rd Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor on this site as I have on some others. I know there are many veterans on this site and I thank all of you for your service.
December 7, 1941 holds a vivid memory for me only as a survivor of my grandfather who was in the Navy at the time of that attack. And this was the ONLY story of his wartime career that he ever spoke of to his entire family. He was a 42 year old Lt. Commander at the time aboard a battleship on that day and in a battle group that had been headed home from some 'clandestine' mission to San Diego from the Philippine islands. They were about a half day out of Oahu on the south western side when they got the call to "Battle-stations, this is not a drill" and to return to Pearl Harbor "IMMEDIATELY" for further orders. In that day there was minimal communication and all they knew was that something very bad had happened and they better be ready for anything. He remembered seeing the horizon as they approached the islands which he had been to many times by ship, and noticed a looming thick black cloud over them still being about 4 hours away, he told us kids that was when he first felt fear as a grown adult. As they approached closer they could see the smoke still billowing into the skies above the islands and wondering what could have ever happened. This was better than 10 hours after the final attacks had taken place on that sunny day. He said as they moved their ships of their battlergroup into the Harbor (12 ships) they began recovering bodies from the sea already. Most of the young men (19-25 yr olds) aboard his ship couldnt comprehend what they were seeing, hearing and doing, they just couldnt believe their eyes. None of them had been to war, my grandfather was already a veteran of WWI where he saw death before. His was the first group of rescuers/recoverers to Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Their mission immediately became protection for the Hawaiian Islands for the next 30 days instead of a homecoming, and then all these men went to war directly from there. My grandfather fought many battles in the Marshall Islands, The Philippines, The Marianas all the way to Okinawa. His ships blasted the hell out of them! He retired as Commander in 1962 the year after I was born. He died in 1964 but I recall his stories as handed down between all us kids as a day he feared for the lives of all the world.
God Speed to all the lost soles... and to the survivors
December 7, 1941 holds a vivid memory for me only as a survivor of my grandfather who was in the Navy at the time of that attack. And this was the ONLY story of his wartime career that he ever spoke of to his entire family. He was a 42 year old Lt. Commander at the time aboard a battleship on that day and in a battle group that had been headed home from some 'clandestine' mission to San Diego from the Philippine islands. They were about a half day out of Oahu on the south western side when they got the call to "Battle-stations, this is not a drill" and to return to Pearl Harbor "IMMEDIATELY" for further orders. In that day there was minimal communication and all they knew was that something very bad had happened and they better be ready for anything. He remembered seeing the horizon as they approached the islands which he had been to many times by ship, and noticed a looming thick black cloud over them still being about 4 hours away, he told us kids that was when he first felt fear as a grown adult. As they approached closer they could see the smoke still billowing into the skies above the islands and wondering what could have ever happened. This was better than 10 hours after the final attacks had taken place on that sunny day. He said as they moved their ships of their battlergroup into the Harbor (12 ships) they began recovering bodies from the sea already. Most of the young men (19-25 yr olds) aboard his ship couldnt comprehend what they were seeing, hearing and doing, they just couldnt believe their eyes. None of them had been to war, my grandfather was already a veteran of WWI where he saw death before. His was the first group of rescuers/recoverers to Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Their mission immediately became protection for the Hawaiian Islands for the next 30 days instead of a homecoming, and then all these men went to war directly from there. My grandfather fought many battles in the Marshall Islands, The Philippines, The Marianas all the way to Okinawa. His ships blasted the hell out of them! He retired as Commander in 1962 the year after I was born. He died in 1964 but I recall his stories as handed down between all us kids as a day he feared for the lives of all the world.
God Speed to all the lost soles... and to the survivors
Remembrance Day... Dec 7, 1941
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