Pearl Harbor History Lesson

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Navy struck the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor with two surprising and deadly attacks. 350 Japanese bombers, armed with heavy armor-piercing bombs, torpedo planes, and dive bombers attacked the U.S. Our battleships, aircraft, bombers, airfields, and even barracks were severely damaged or destroyed in the attack. The destruction and loss of life to the unsuspecting U.S. military fleet, as well as civilians, was devastating.

U.S.S. Arizona, December 7, 1941

The Japanese sank or damaged 188 U.S. aircraft and 8 U.S. Navy Battleships, killing 2,403 people and wounding 1,178. The damage caused to the Japanese Navy was very small. Only 29 of the 350 aircraft were destroyed.

This attack on Pearl Harbor is what brought the U.S. into WWII with President Franklin D. Roosevelt declaring war with Japan the very next day.

The most spectacular of the bombers' victims was the U.S.S. Arizona battleship. 1,177 sailors were killed aboard her that fateful day. 1,102 are still entombed in the Arizona. The U.S.S. Arizona is now an active U.S. Military Cemetery and has come to commemorate all military personnel killed in the Pearl Harbor attack.

The U.S.S. Arizona Memorial consists of a structure that spans but does not touch the sunken ship.

"To the memory of the gallant men here entombed and their shipmates who gave their lives in action on December 7, 1941 on the U.S.S. Arizona."

To this day, oil can still be seen rising from the wreckage to the surface of the water. The oil seeping is sometimes referred to as "the tears of the Arizona". In this pic, you can see the ship below the surface of the water as well as little fish that don't seem to mind the oil.

This is the Mercy, a U.S. Naval Hospital Ship. This ship provides emergency, on-site care to U.S. combatant forces deployed in war or other operations. The hospital ships' secondary mission is to provide full hospital services to support U.S. disaster relief and humanitarian operations worldwide. It went to aid Haiti in January when they were hit with that devastating earthquake. Firing on the Mercy is considered a war crime. (It was at dock while we were at the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.)

How lucky we were to see the Mercy leaving Pearl Harbor when we were aboard the U.S.S. Missouri. When we got home, Jeff looked up where she was going. She was returning to San Diego from a May 1 "Pacific Partnership" humanitarian aid deployment to Southeast Asia. She visited Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, & Palau. 110,000 patients were treated. They performed 859 surgeries, gave out nearly 61,000 pairs of eye glasses and also took care of 2,800 animals.

Notice the sailors all saluting. They salute both the U.S.S. Arizona and the U.S.S. Missouri as they travel past them both on their way into and out of Pearl Harbor. This was such a touching thing to see. The respect these men and women show to the "bookends" of WWII. The U.S.S. Arizona representing the beginning of the U.S.'s involvement in WWII and the U.S.S. Missouri being the location of the Japanese surrender, ending WWII.

Oh, I think I forgot to mention one most very obvious thing here. This is Gway & Pa. And yes, Pa is wearing shorts!

The U.S.S. Missouri as seen from the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.

The U.S.S. Missouri was the last battleship built by the United States. She fought in battles of WWII in Japan as well as the Korean War. She was decommissioned but reactivated and modernized to provide fire support during Operation Desert Storm.

The U.S.S. Missouri received 11 battle stars for her service in WWII, Korea, and the Persian Gulf.

The very spot on deck where the Japanese Surrendered.

Japanese foreign affairs minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signs the Japanese Instrument of Surrender in Tokyo Bay on board U.S.S. Missouri as General Richard K. Sutherland watches, September 2, 1945.

Looking down at the place of the Japanese surrender.

This is a photo of a low-flying Japanese Kamikaze that crashed into the starboard side of the U.S.S. Missouri, just below her main deck level. One wing of the plane was thrown far forward, starting a gasoline fire which was quickly contained. The battleship suffered only superficial damage. The remains of the pilot were recovered on board the ship. The captain of the battleship decided that the young Japanese pilot had done his job to the best of his ability, and with honor, so he should be given a military funeral. The following day he was buried at sea with military honors.

The dent in the side of the ship still remains to this day.

The U.S.S. Missouri is huge, and we had a blast climbing all through it.

After the history lessons at Pearl Harbor, Pa took us through Hickam Air Force Base. There Pa showed us barracks where shrapnel damage is still present from the Japanese attack on that fateful day in December of 1941.