PEARL HARBOR

Pearl Harbor Remembrance.
Today, is the 69th anniversary of the “infamous” Sunday, December 7th, 1941, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, in Honolulu. This sad day marked our active participation in World War II.
Today is also the birthday of our youngest daughter Susan, who was born in the Wilcox hospital at Waimea, Kauai. Also, my good friend Jim Leslie is celebrating his “double-eight” birthday back in Ypsilanti.
I recently moved here to the California Veterans Home, in Yountville. A large group of us are having breakfast. The subject of conversation at the nearby tables is, of course, Pearl Harbor. I wonder how many men, and women, in this large dining room, were there, in Honolulu, on that day?
My memory of the day is still vivid - like it was only yesterday!
The human brain is quite a remarkable organ to be able to store data, and release it upon demand, 69 years later!
I had enlisted in the Army Air Corps on March 26, 1941 - in Detroit. On this day, I was stationed at Gunter Field in Montgomery, Alabama. I was a Crew Chief of a Vultee Basic Trainer 13. Our mission was to train English lads to fly.
Being a Sunday, four of my friends and I decided to drive to Birmingham (about 100 miles) to spend the day. I was sandwiched in the middle of the back seat - no seat belts back then. I can’t remember the type of car, and who owned it. We had the car radio “on”. All of a sudden an “Alert” was broadcast “All military personnel report to your bases immediately.” One of us said, “Turn off the radio”, and we decided to keep going. So, we sped along as if nothing had happened!
After spending the day sight-seeing in Birmingham, we returned to Gunter Field. I was immediately assigned to “Guard Duty”. I was given an Enfield rifle (WW I vintage,) but no ammunition. I don’t remember having any rifle training in “Boot Camp”. I can still remember walking around the buildings on that cool, spooky December night.
RCL - 12/9/10.