82 years ago .

My Grandfather went out to walk his dog, check the surf and see if it was a good morning to fish . He ended up in a life boat making rescues and recoveries .
My Grandmother was started awake and spent 11 hours in an inside wall closet behind a wall made of her bed and pillows .
My great Aunt ran a triage in her living room.

They along with Dad's Mom who worked in the Oakland Port Chicago ship yard briefly in the fall of 41' and both his Father and Dad that served WWI and clean up times are gone now .
Dads brother that served in the Pacific along with his Uncles are all gone now too .

It occurs to me that I was that close to being someone completely different or not at all on this day 82 years ago.....

Indeed, things could have been very different. One of my grandfathers was on a boat in the pacific and the other was en route when the bomb was dropped.

I watched my son graduate Navy boot camp today, yeah I’m real proud!


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I appreciate the stories my friends.

I have known three Men who were at Pearl that morning

Two I did not find out where they were, they simply like many would not talk about it.

The third was my Wife's Grandfather, he was on the USS California when it went down, he was actually listed as MIA for 10 days
Again he never would talk about it.
He came home after the war, married and had 8 kids

May they all Rest in Peace

J Wisner

My dads ship left Pearl Harbor a couple days before the bombing and was turned around to help in clean up and rescue efforts. My dads sister was a nurse at Pearl harbor. One of dads brothers was in Europe at the time. All made it home safely but rarely discussed their experiences.

My dads step father had just returned to Pearl from Wake Island the week before, where Morrison-Knudsen (MK) was building runways and bunkers. He was a heavy equipment super for MK they spent the day assisting the military clear damaged areas and rescuing survivors from wrecked building. He was 55 years old so not in the military, but my dad joined the Navy serving in the Pacific when he graduated HS in 1944.

I don't know how a guy could keep quiet about all of that they've been through but I hope all their souls rest in peace.

My wife's uncle was there. Someone said he was on the Arizona but I never asked him about it. His 2 brothers were in the area but I never heard anyone say exactly where. Her dad was also in the navy, said he was a typist but his oldest son thinks he may have served on a sub for a while.

Most all of the generation is gone. Dad served in Europe in 44 through 45, and an uncle was in the pacific. Both gone for a good while now. Dad would have been 102 on the first of the month.
They saw a lot, and neither talked much, or nearly enough. But that was typical of that generation.

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My uncles were in the Philippines working on US Navy aircraft and would eventually be jap POWs, in the Battan to Corregidor march, and in a Jap camp for almost 4 years.

Dad was Army Air Corps , '42-45 , his brother was airborne and worked with French underground , mother's brother was a medic on the beach D-Day , he had tales would curl your hair when he talked about it ..

I was in Pearl for three of my 22 in the Navy , hallowed ground there ..