Why Pearl Harbor is important to me.

[shaper]

One of my Uncles was in the Philippines. He was evacuated to Australia with Gen. McArther.

[paul h]

Thanks for sharing, I didn't catch this story the first time around.

I think everyone who's family goes back a few generations was affected to some degree by Pearl Harbor. The effect on my family wasn't immediate, but it definitely affected them.

My uncle signed up for the Navy, but as he was a strapping lad some 6'-4" tall they decided he'd make a fine marine. He was one of the 6800 that gave their life on Iwo Jima. He received the Silver Star

http://valor.militarytimes.com/recip...ipientid=42097

My grandmother lost one of her two sons. Her husband fought in WWI, was gassed by the Germans, and survived. But with his weakened lungs died of pneumonia when my father was 2.

My father volunteered for the Navy and served aboard the USS Kadashan Bay carrier as the ships photographer in the waning months of the war. I need to bug my brother as he scanned dad's trunk full of photos from time on the Katy B during the war, and when they went into China after the war to ferry US troops home. It's been nearly 10 years since he passed away, shortly after his 80th birthday.

[Harter66]

My "Uncle Bingo" landed Iwo Jima and 2 others .
Dad's older brother served on the USS Mustin 42-45' .
Owen Hughes Moms grandfather was artillery in France WWI .

We go all the way back to at least 1740 on both sides .

[shdwlkr]

A friend of mine from high school has two uncles on the Arizona and we talked about what was known back then and it wasn't pretty then, as he wondered if his uncles where some of those that lasted until Christmas

[leftiye]

Pearl was the Alamo and 9/11 combined. People were some scared afterwards, but Japan was lucky it turned out as well as it did for them. Nothing else flames my blood that way.

[The_Hammer]

Thanks for sharing!

[dave951]

I had one relative killed at PH, my grandmothers's brother. I don't know too much about him other than what some in the family said. He had married a local on the island and back in that day, with him from the south, well, you can pretty much draw the conclusions about how it was viewed in the family then.

His brother joined the USMC. His first combat engagement was Guadacanal, was wounded a couple times in several invasions and served until the end of the war. Dad has told me some stories about how he was after getting home. These days we'd peg him with PTSD. Let a car backfire or a sudden loud noise and Uncle Kid was nowhere to be seen, having taken nearest cover. He did tell me a few things but only after a 6pack or two. That guy could shoot like nobody's business. He taught my dad and later helped me when I was a little guy struggling to hold up that big 22.

[sw282]

l have a letter from Daddy to Mama dated November 7, 1941. Exactly one month before Pearl Harbor.

Daddy was working for the US Navy on a dredge in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba...

ln the Letter he states he will be home for Christmas 1941 and had purchased a plane ticket to Miami..

How he got from Miami to Conway SC l don't know.. l only know he was in Conway Hospital on Dec 15

when my sister was born... Daddy didn't go back to Cuba afterward.. He transferred to Charleston Navy


Yard shortly afterwards... l know he tried to volunteer, but the Navy deferred him saying he was needed


more at the Navy Yard...

Fast forward to 0ct 1967. Viet Nam going on hot and heavy. l go to work at Charleston Navy Yard..

Gonna get me a Navy deferment too. l wasn't needed at the Yard like Daddy. Got a letter from Uncle

Sugar in December...Report to Fort Jackson Feb17, 1968.. TET .... And the rest is HISTORY

[shdwlkr]

sw282
Mine is similar to yours dad was a teacher to farmers, he wanted to be fighter pilot in the Navy. Government said no you are needed to help farmers produce more food for the troops. Then a few years later I was born and when I was kid growing up I was a runt so the doctors told mom and dad I would get a 4f rating and never see military service. Fast forward to 1969 the last draft drawing by birthdays, mine was third to last one drawn or I would not have seen military service. I spent 7 years in Army made it all the way to SFC and got banged up some along the way and left. I hated the military a lot but you know it was also the best time of my life, wished I realized that back then and finished out my 20-30 years. I was a combat Engineer Instructor site chief most only had one site but I was lucky I had five I was responsible for don't remember the sites now but it was interesting some times.

[shooterg]

My Pops was not quite old enough to join on that Dec. 7 . At 17 off he went off to Uncle Sam's Misguided Childrens home at Paris Island. Between finishing boot and shipping out he met my Mom. She wouldn't have give him the time of day if he hadn't been wearing his service clothes ! So , no Dec. 7, no Pops meets Mom, no me !
He got a tour of Asian islands and picked up a couple PH's , still (92) uses the politically incorrect "Jap" word but not without additional profanity. Never talked about his time much. We'd never dare come home in a Japanese vehicle with expectations of living longer !

[Harter66]

Rebump to the top for the day .

[James Wisner]

My wife's maternal Grandfather was on the USS California that morning.

He made it thru it in one piece unlike many men that morning
He came home and raised 8 children.
Sadly two strokes took him 24 years ago

The wife, myslef, and our son spent 8 days this past October on the island and one whole day was at Pearl Harbor
It is something that should be never forgotten.

JW

[samari46]

Very informational family histories. My dad was working for the Long Island Railroad and never served. They needed him and many others to keep the trains running to keep much needed war supplies to both coasts as well as troops. Still have the ration stamp books around here. Finally found my old Navy I.D. card, ruptured duck, Geneva Convention card,Shellback card and two draft cards. Since I enlisted prior to my 18th B'day didn't have to register for the draft. So after I got out went to the local draft board. Since our ship made a Westpac cruise he asked where I had been all this time. Europe, South China sea and Vietnam. So handed him a copy of my DD214N and for some funny reason ended up with two draft cards. But the second on had the all important 4A typed on it. A lot of companies wouldn't hire you if you were registered for the draft. Why waste all the time and money when you could get drafted?. However if you had already served jobs were easy to get. Second job I worked at stayed for 30 years. Frank