Pearl Harbor + 70

[hawkeye52]

This is apropos the upcoming 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=vcnH_kF1zXc&feature=player_embedded

- H52

[Jagdflieger]

... "Climb Mount Niitaka 1208" was transmited to the the IJN First Carrier Striking Force a day after it had crossed the International Date Line enroute to Hawaii. Heavy weather dogged, but concealed the most powerful naval force yet seen on plannet Earth as it sailed to its date with history.

[redfly]

I had the honor of meeting a gentleman who served on the U.S.S. Ward last Wednesday who was taking a flight to Honolulu. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story
of the Ward it was the ship that fired the "first" shot of World War II. It was the destroyer that sank the midget sub trying to enter the channel into the harbor
during the early morning of December 7th, 1941. Even more appropriate was that our Captain for the flight from Seattle to Honolulu was former Navy and
the First Officer was a Marine ("once a marine, ALWAYS a Marine! as he likes to remind me). The gentleman's name escapes me at the moment but the flight
crew for our flight took the opportunity to personally thank him and gave him a tour of our B757 cockpit. He also told me that he actually was one of the two surviving
crew from the Ward that were aboard the reaserch subs that went to the location of the sub they sank after it was discovered by Dr. Robert Ballard a few years ago.
It was truly a pleasure and an honor to shake the man's hand and thank him for his service to our country.

Mark

[Tako_Kichi]

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story of the Ward it was the ship that fired the "first" shot of World War II.
For the sake of history I would like to point out that while it may have been the first American shot of WWII the rest of us had been fighting a bloody and brutal war for three years prior to that.

[Jagdflieger]

The USS Ward (a WW I Wickes Class four stacker) had a new captain on board and a crew made up mostly of reservests in Decmeber 7, 1941.

She was soon converted to a destroyer transport (APD) and in that role was active throughout the South Pacific and Central Pacific. She was sunk later in the war by kamikaze aircraft off of the Philippines. Due to the kamikaze damage to the USS Ward, her former skipper (of Pearl Harbor fame) ordered her sunk by gunfire on Decmeber 7, 1944, exactly three years after she fired the first US shot of the Pacific War.

[redfly]

For the sake of history I would like to point out that while it may have been the first American shot of WWII the rest of us had been fighting a bloody and brutal war for three years prior to that.
I stand corrected sir :redf: No offence to the British Empire intended (nevermind the fact that I was born in Canada to American parents and grew up in 'Winterpeg'). Meant to say the first U.S. shots fired in World War II. I also knew a Canadian Army vet who was a good friend of my Dad who was at Juno Beach during the first wave of D-Day. Mr. Plante had some pretty hair-raising stories to tell...

Mark

[Tako_Kichi]

I stand corrected sir :redf: No offence to the British Empire intended (nevermind the fact that I was born in Canada to American parents and grew up in 'Winterpeg').
That's OK none was taken and I haven't been called 'Sir' since I gave up teaching 19 years ago. :icon_lol:


I also knew a Canadian Army vet who was a good friend of my Dad who was at Juno Beach during the first wave of D-Day. Mr. Plante had some pretty hair-raising stories to tell...
I would imagine every single survivor had similar tales to tell. My late father also took part in the D-Day landings and had some tales of his own (few of them pleasant).

[brad kaste]

For all you WWII book reading buffs: Have you ever wondered how FDR and his cabinet members reacted when they got the first news on Pearl Harbor? That is,...within the first twenty four hours after the attack and what was put into motion during these early critical hours? Well,...this might be the book for you. I'm half way through it and it's hard to put down. The book is titled "PEARL HARBOR" (FDR Leads the Nation into War) by historian Steven M. Gillon. It's written in a clear, concise style that lays out the historical-political and military buildups leading up to Dec. 7th, 1941. Gillon describes FDR's initial reactions to the Japanese attack,...and how his shrewdness and skill as the president kept it together the best he could. Again,...the book is fast-paced which makes for quick reading...only 180 pages in length. Check you local library for it.