Pearl Harbor 76 years ago

[Honu]

one thing that is interesting to see is the fact #1 turret still is on her and many do not know that

[SteyrAUG]

Jesus. That's the kind of thing that should be taught in school. The true reality of warfare, not glorified Hollywood BS.

Makes solemn events solemn. I once heard a person say "Happy Pearl Harbor Day." I'm sure they thought they were being respectful and well intentioned but I still wanted to punch them.

[Dist. Expert 26]

Makes solemn events solemn. I once heard a person say "Happy Pearl Harbor Day." I'm sure they thought they were being respectful and well intentioned but I still wanted to punch them.

I have a hard time getting wound up over stuff like that. Some people, especially the typical "outraged internet veteran" make a big deal every year on Memorial Day, but the thing is most Americans have no skin in the game anymore. Pearl Harbor is just a movie and Memorial Day is an excuse to cook out. They have no concept of the true significance of either event.

I think it's pathetic, but it is what it is. You can't make people care.

[Firefly]

If you ever get the chance go look up Ronald Reagan's speech on the 40th anniversary of D Day. The guys were in their 50s and 60s then.

The WWII boys are almost all gone.

The Vietnam War guys are in their 60s.

Desert Storm are well into their 40s.

And a lot of 18 yos during the initial 2003 invasion are in their mid 30s

Tempus Fugit

And another point was brought up. Kids spend all this time learning about other countries' history and none learning about their own. I figure thats intentional

[Dist. Expert 26]

It's absolutely intentional. The less people know about their country, the less invested they are in it's future. Also, by learning history people tend to try to avoid the same mistakes. Neither of those fit the agenda, so American history is glossed over.

Or maybe I'm turning into Clint Eastwood from Gran Turino at the ripe old age of 26.

[Arik]

Was talking to my dad today. He has a 36 year old coworker who's never heard of the significance of Dec 7 or Pearl Harbor. My dad and several others were talking about Pearl The other day when this guy walks in and asks what's a Pearl Harbor!

I'm telling my dad no way... can't be! How can someone born here not know this!?!? So my old man proceeds to tell me that a few months ago they were talking about baby boomers and this same guy didn't know that meaning either.

Seriously? Find a rhesus monkey in the middle of some tropical forest and it'll know what a baby boomer and Pearl Harbor are!

How do you not know this? My dad, who came here as a 30 something adult knows what Pearl Harbor is from his grade school days and he grew up in a country hostile to the US!

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

[MountainRaven]

Kinda morbid, but I wonder if the Japanese had known what was in store 4 short years later if they would have
stayed out of it.

The Japanese wanted a fast war, over in a hurry. They wanted to sack a few American possessions, sink the US Navy, and force the US to sue for peace before America could bring her massive industrial and manpower advantages to bear - and resume getting American oil and steel to complete their conquest of China. If the Japanese had left Pearl Harbor alone, they might have even gotten away with it - or at the very least, managed to keep Americans mostly apathetic.

[MountainRaven]

A non-American analyzes the attack on Pearl Harbor (in a short video):

[SteyrAUG]

I have a hard time getting wound up over stuff like that. Some people, especially the typical "outraged internet veteran" make a big deal every year on Memorial Day, but the thing is most Americans have no skin in the game anymore. Pearl Harbor is just a movie and Memorial Day is an excuse to cook out. They have no concept of the true significance of either event.

I think it's pathetic, but it is what it is. You can't make people care.

Still irked me and I try not to waste time on stupid. I think it was the tone, it was like somebody wishing you a "Happy 4th of July." One date is celebrated, the other date is remembered. I understand lots of people "don't get it", but it still irks me.

[Moose-Knuckle]

I stand corrected; the ship those guys were on was the USS West Virginia, not the Oklahoma.

From USSWestVirginia.org:

Olds, Endicott and Costin were sitting on the harbor floor completely surrounded by water, 40 feet down. Cutting through the side of the hull for rescue was out of the question. The smallest of holes in a pressurized compartment would cause a "blow-out", something Submariners knew well. Besides, considering the destruction and carnage above, the problems of three men didn't amount to a "hill of beans" to busy Navy Brass. All Sailors know they are expendable after "set zed". Concerned Shipmates pin-pointed their banging as coming from the bow section, but could do nothing. Clifford Olds' friend Jack Miller had a sinking feeling Olds was trapped. He knew the pump station well, as Cliff would often invite him there for "bull sessions". It was so air-tight, they often closed the hatch and dared people to hear them cursing wildly inside.

Late spring 1942 found Navy salvage teams finally getting to work on the WV. An Inventive series of tremic cement patches were fitted to her port side, and enough water pumped out to partially float the once grand ship. BB48 was nudged across the Harbor into drydock and the grim task of finding bodies began. For Commander Paul Dice, compartment A-111 was expected to be like the rest: Put on gas masks, place some goo into a bodybag and let the Medical boys worry about identification. They had seen it all, but this compartment was different. Dice first noticed the interior was dry and flashlight batteries and empty ration cans littered the floor. A manhole cover to a fresh water supply was opened. Then he saw the calendar. It was 12"x14" and marked with big red Xs that ended December 23. Hardened salvage workers wept uncontrollably as they realized the fate of these men. Word quickly spread among salvage crews: Three men had lived for 16 days to suffer the most agonizing deaths among the 2800 victims at Pearl Harbor.
The Navy told their Parents they were killed in the attack on the 7th. Buddy Costin’s brother, Harlan, was the first family member to discover the truth.

Unbelievable.

Thanks for sharing this, first I have heard of their ordeal.

The dust must be getting in my eyes.