The Pearl Harbor I remember

"A Date that will live in infamy"

FDR

Years ago I requested and received military orders to Hawaii. To say I was pleased would be an understatement in the highest order. In those days I had aspirations of learning to surf, speaking the Hawaiian language and just basking under the Hawaiian sun and enjoying the hospitality of the Hawaiian people. I wanted to be the big khuna revisited.

Those days have passed now with no regrets, I never learned to surf and my Hawaiian is limited to shocka, Kaneohe, Kamehameha and big Khuna.

On this 7 December I think about 7 December 1941, and what took place on the navy base at Pearl Harbor that day. I was not there in 1941 and I know from limited experiences that unless you were there it is next to impossible to know what it was like to experience combat. I have walked the streets of the Naval base at Pearl Harbor; I have looked at the historic buildings and have read the memorial placards honoring the many heroes from that day. It was however, not until I rode the ferry across the inlet at Pearl Harbor, enroute to Ford Island, passing the Arizona memorial that I was gripped by the graveness of that day in 1941 like that of September 11, a day that will never be forgotten.

Ford Island maintained a small population of military and civilians when I was there. The Island on most days looked deserted resembling a ghost town from the old west. Unfortunately, the ghosts of this island have a thing to say about the unexpected and just how short life can be.

Standing on the ground of Ford Island I thought about the warriors that fought to protect our nation on December 7, 1941. Men like Doris (Dorie) Miller, Cook Third Class, USN, who was awarded the Navy Cross for heroism on that day. Doris Miller was one of many heroes on that day. Miller was not your typical hero type but isn't it like that so often the ordinary folks are the ones that step up when faced with a challenge.

My duties at Ford Island weren't that heroic, I was escorting prisoners to the base brig located at the time on the island. It was one of those duties that required patience; alot of waiting around took place. This waiting provided the perfect opportunity to reflect and think. It was difficult then and even more so now to think that those empty streets on Ford Island and the adjacent waterway, were the same ones that were filled with servicemen fighting for their lives and country and where thousands lost their lives.

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