Being one of the fortunate thousands who have visited the Arizona Memorial, for me it was a touching experience. Looking down the long list of those killed, there was one guy with the same last name as me. It personalized the experience, as I looked down and watched the oil globules still coming to the top. My dad like thousands of others went down the following week to enlist. He picked the Navy. They told him .... you're too old Pops .. go home. So he did. Two weeks later he was drafted by the Army, and served in the Pacific in the 41st Infantry Division.

The second surprise attack on the USA was 911. Women and children murdered this time.

Makes you wonder when the next one will be.

Apparently, we both got the same images sent to us...

Apparently, we both got the same images sent to us...

Presented as *all newly discovered* in someone's suitcase?

Regardless of the fact that many of them were classics?

I did a get new images from that bunch, but I had most of them already.

Unlike the pics of the Cassin and Downes, the various views of the Shaw exploding, etc - the pic of the aircraft (I assume a Zero) diving at the sub was new to me.

Amazing photos, John, thanks. The information about human and material losses is equally valuable. Consider the resolve and labor required to recover, repair, and fight on.

If it's not too forward, offer a retrospective of my own here:

http://edefense.blogspot.com/2006/12/its-easy-to-forget.html

My Dad was at Pearl Harbor, on the seaplane tender USS Tangier, tied up to the Utah. He witnessed the entire attack from the "Crows Nest" on his ship. He remembers seeing a Japanesse pilot eyeball to eyeball at his height. They were one of the very first ships to fire back and were involved in sinking one of the midget subs. Later he was on one of the cruiser sunk at Savo Island near Gualdacanel (spelling?). Was radio operator on a PBM. Did not get a scratch during the entire war.

My grand dad was working on the Cassin while it was in dry dock that day. I think an enemy plane destroyed the ship by crashing into it. Grand dad survived the attack and fought on.

Thank you for honoring this important anniversary. I served on a sub out of Pearl in the '80s. The only reason I was able to relax in relative peace was due to the heroes of WWII. I've posted a rememberance of one of the heroes at our blog.

You forgot the USS Utah. She has a memorial on Ford Island.

Never mind found her under Battleships. I think she was a target ship though.

Oh, just forget it.

Yup, the email read:
PEARL HARBOR PHOTOS FOUND IN AN OLD BROWNIE STORED IN A FOOTLOCKER

THESE PHOTOS ARE FROM A SAILOR WHO, I'M TOLD, WAS ON THE USS QUAPAW ATF-11O. INTERESTING AS I'VE NEVER SEEN THEM ANYWHERE ELSE.
I THINK THEY'RE SPECTACULAR.

If you've never seen them anywhere else, you weren't looking too hard, save a few. They are breathtaking, though.

Oh, and for what it is worth, the Quapaw was not at Pearl Harbor, "her keel being laid on 28 December 1942, launched on 15 May 1943, sponsored by Mrs. N.Lehman, and commissioned on 6 May, 1944"

I've posted a diary entry and a letter from some civilians who lived in Pearl City. (They're family heirlooms of a sort.) Thought you might be interested.

Higgy - it was fun, watching you work your way through it...!

Pigboat - yep, same one, though I didn't bother looking up the Qapaw, I admit!

As for the links to other posts - they're fine and welcome!

It's so sad to think that this may be the last reunion, because there simply won't be enough healthy survivors to hold a 70th. *sigh*

A friend of mine told me today that her uncle was a radioman, about 20 miles offshore that day. He saw the Japanese planes incoming, and radio'd in the attack... but he never said another word about what happened that day. Only that he tried to warn them.
What a day.

When I first went to Pearl Harbor in 1946, I could see parts of the Arizona above the water. I told the story for years it was the superstructure, I later found out it was the stacks. They built the memorial just over two of the stacks.

One footnote: USS Nevada was indeed repaired and returned to action. On the morning of June 6, 1944, she gave fire support to our troops at Normandy.

In honor of this important date, I've been showing a bunch of the classic newsreels and Frank Capra short films (e.g., Why We Fight) on IFILM's War page:
www.ifilm.com/channel/warzone
Check it out, if you like.
-Icarus