The sun rose, spreading its light into the clear sky, a moment of indescribable peace and tranquility. Across the harbor, the water lay almost glassy. It was eerily similar to another morning 83 years earlier, that Day of Infamy; December 7th, 1941.
That day, however, the calm was suddenly broken by the roar
of aircraft and the shocking explosions that heralded the beginning of a new
war.
This day, however, the peaceful calm remained intact. On the
north side of Ford Island the destroyer USS Carl Levin and the submarine USS
Hawai'i moved through the water with reverent dignity. The drawbridge
connecting the island to Honolulu had been pulled aside, and the two vessels
made their way through, passing alongside the grave of a ship that has always
been the symbol of that attack. As they came abeam of the USS Arizona Memorial, a
whistle sounded across the water and the white-clad sailors manning the rails
came to attention. This has always been the tradition. When any Navy ship
passes the graceful white memorial, they render honors in respect partly for
the old battleship, but just as much for the 1,177 men who remain entombed
within the ship.
At the appointed moment, 7:55 AM, or 07:55 in Navy speak,
there was a sudden roar from the south. A formation of four F-22 Raptor
fighters from the Hawai'i Air National Guard swept in low. Just as they reached
the memorial, one aircraft went vertical, knifing into the brilliantly blue sky
accompanied by the roar of afterburners. It was the traditional "missing
man formation," the moving salute to the fallen. Across the harbor, at the
Arizona Memorial Visitors Center, a 103-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor rose
from his wheelchair to render a salute.
Aboard the battleship USS Missouri, just a few hundred yards
from Arizona's bow, staff members stood at attention, our throats tight with
emotion. We work here every day, but the sense of history and honor that fills
this harbor is always present in our hearts. We all clearly understand that the
freedoms we cherish are largely due to those who fought and died for them.
This ceremony occurs every year, and it never feels old or routine. It means so much to us because Arizona was where World War II began for America, and Missouri was where it ended 1,365 days later.
Around 0758, the first Japanese bomb fell on Ford
Island. A couple of minutes later, three air-launched
torpedoes slammed into USS Oklahoma’s port side. She immediately flooded and
began rolling over. Abandon Ship was
ordered before 08:00. Oklahoma would be
struck by two more torpedoes, sealing her fate. Hundreds of men would be
trapped inside.
USS West Virginia, moored outboard of USS Tennessee, was
struck by an estimated 7 torpedoes. She
listed 28 degrees, but prompt action by damage control teams corrected the list
to 16 degrees. She settled nearly
upright on the harbor bottom.
USS Arizona was hit around 08:10, an armor-piercing bomb
penetrated the main deck and exploded in a space where black powder was being
temporarily stored outside of the magazines.
The resulting explosion lifted the battleship out of the water and tore
her apart, igniting a fire that took two days to extinguish. Her losses were over half of those from the
entire attack, 1,175 men.
USS Nevada was executing morning colors, accompanied by the
ship’s band. The National Anthem was being
played when two strafing Japanese planes swept past, firing at the assembled
sailors, but only succeeding in tearing the flag. In a magnificent display of courage, nobody
broke ranks, and the band finished the Anthem.
Nevada then went to work, shot down several planes, and was the only
battleship that morning to slip her moorings and head for sea. She was hit by one torpedo, but prompt
counterflooding kept her upright. The
sight of this gallant ship steaming along with the tattered flag at her tail
was an inspiration to all who witnessed her sortie. But the Japanese attackers, seeing her
moving, dropped a cluster of bombs on her forecastle (the area of the bow
forward of the gun turrets) causing severe damage and forcing a decision to
beach the ship rather than risk her sinking in the channel.
In less than 30 minutes, the Japanese accomplished their
primary mission, the destruction of the Battle Line of the Pacific Fleet. A lot of other damage was recorded, and 2,390
Americans lost their lives. Half the
combat aircraft stationed on O’ahu were destroyed as well as severe damage to
airfields and related facilities. But
there was some good news.
The aircraft carriers, Enterprise, Lexington, and Saratoga
were all at sea during the attack. Their
destruction would have severely crippled the United States. For over a year, they were the sole source of
offensive capability. All the dry docks
were intact, which enabled damaged ships to be quickly repaired. The fuel tanks scattered around the harbor,
containing 4.5 million barrels of oil were completely spared. That loss would have forced all surviving
ships back to the West Coast.
Later historical analysis would show that the reaction of
the American sailors, soldiers, and airmen was swift. Men, mostly young, who had never been in
battle took immediate action to get anti-aircraft guns in action, in many cases
hacking open ammunition lockers. Below
decks, men struggled to control the damage.
Many formed passing lines to move ammunition from below decks up to the
guns. The stories of heroism and
gallantry were numerous. 16 men would receive
the Medal of Honor, 10 posthumously.
It was, as President Roosevelt later described it, a day of
infamy.
There is so much to contemplate—not just the death and
destruction of that day, but everything that occurred during the war, including
the horrifying atrocities committed against the innocent. Worldwide,
approximately 69 million people perished, 50 million of whom were civilians.
The world was torn apart in unimaginable violence as opposing forces clashed
across the globe.
As painful as that was, one blessing emerged. Humanity,
capable of such violence, also demonstrated the wisdom to end it. General
Douglas MacArthur summed it up best:
"Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has
ended, and a great victory has been won. Death no longer rains from the skies;
the seas bear only commerce. Men everywhere walk upright in the sunlight. And
the entire world lies quietly at peace."
It is essential for us today to remember December 7th,
1941. In a space of minutes, America moved
from peace to global war, fought simultaneously in the Pacific and Europe. But most remarkably, a nation with deep
political divisions, immediately linked arms, stood shoulder to shoulder with a
heartfelt unity that would propel America through three-and-a half years of war. We learned a lot that day, and in the days
that followed about ourselves and our nation.
