nissan, toyota, honda, mazda, suzuki, mitsubishi, isuzu. I still get choked up everytime I see a picture of the Arizona memorial seeping oil. God Bless all who made the ultimate sacrifice, then and now.
I have an uncle who is still alive that was at Pearl Harbor during the bombing, my fathers twin brother was at the invasion of Normandy and my father was with the 4th Marine Raiders at Iwo Jima ...my uncles and my father never talked about it...ever. Mr. Dick
Tomorrow, I'll walk next door to my grandfather's house, ask him what today is and thank him as I always do on any military remeberence day.. He's WWII Vet, South Pacific, Solomon Island. I've been able to accompany him to numerous events. He asked me to be his guest to the WWII dedications in D.C., He asked me to walk him on stage to get his high school diploma. (He almost blind from years of welding).. He received his diploma through a program that the VFW offers. My favorite was when I took him to see Flags of our fathers.. When the movie came out I asked him to go to see it (he hadn't been to the movies in forty years) He wears his WWII veteran hat everwheres and had it that night. As we sat down I held his hat for him. As the movie finished and everyone was leaving he put on his hat and entire place stopped. About 10 people shook his hand and said "Thank You".. Then waited for him to leave and followed him out.. Needless to say I had tears of pride in my eyes...
Bless them all!! And like every year I say "I'd rather see my sister in a whore house, than to see my brother in a jap car" And a on a side note, I knew a guy that was half black and half japenese and on Dec 7 he would attact Pearl Bailey.....Born in 1941........OLDBEET
I strongly recomend to others if you have not yet - to study your history and read up on what those Japs did - does Battan Death March ring a bell? Then Americans go out and buy Jap cars - go figure?
God bless you and your Grandad. Shake his hand, hug his neck, kiss his cheek and tell him "thanks" from your pals on the HAMB!
My grandmother was a WAVE and served during WWII, as well as my grandpa who was a Naval man. God rest their souls and may we NEVER forget, for history SHALL repeat itself.
I lost an uncle on one of the ships in the Pacific. I don't know if it was inside or outside the harbor. My Grandma was one of the Gold Star Mothers. I remember as a little boy, I would see the star in the front window of her St Louis home every day and I didn't know what it was about until it was explained to me a long time later. My uncles who were in the service rarely mentioned the war. When we kids wanted to hear war stories, it was hard to get any of them to open up about what they went through. All "the children" were allowed to know was that most of our uncles spent the war on ships, airplanes falling out of the sky, crashing nearby, and then the women would come into the room and say things like "Is Uncle Joe telling war stories again? Don't scare the children" and it would end. Then and now, I have always been bothered by the fact that the kids who were really curious were kept from knowing what they really needed to know. My dad was a math teacher who taught the pilots and crews about navigation and plotting for the bombing runs before they were sent out to their foreign posts. Although he was in England for a while (later at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois), he couldn't tell me the real war stories that my uncles on the ships could. I wanted to know about the war, and even the WWII vets in our church wouldn't talk about it. I think we were "protected" from learning all we really needed to learn. Just like we kept our heads in the sand in the late 1930's when all the indicators were that we were next, we refused to believe that we were in danger from the people who said they were coming for us, we are doing it again today. People have declared war on us again several years ago, and many of us still haven't realized it yet....
yep,and who helped Japan back on it's feet.? Sandakan was typical of the atrocities inflicted on Allied POWS. Imagine this. It is May 1945. Clad only in ragged loin-cloths, over 500 skeletal creatures, barely recognisable as human, struggle to their feet at the Sandakan POW Compound, on Sabah's north-east coast. Three long years in captivity, half of them on starvation rations and with little or no medical attention, have taken their toll. The grimy, wasted bodies of these once fit and strapping Australian and British servicemen are covered in sores and scabies, their filthy hair and beards matted and lice-infested. Many are suffering from tropical ulcers, some so large that shin bones are clearly visible. Others, bloated from beriberi, lumber along on sausage-like legs. They are bound for Ranau, a small village on the flanks of Mt Kinabalu, South East Asia's highest peak, situated 250 kilometres away to the west, in the rugged Borneo jungle interior. There was no medical assistance and little food. Anyone who could not keep up was disposed of'. Despite this, about half the prisoners completed the march, only to die at Ranau from illness, malnutrition and ill-treatment by their captors. Two Australians managed to escape in the early stages of the second march with the help of villagers, and four more successfully escaped from Ranau into the jungle, where they were cared for by local people. 6 Australians escaped into the jungle.They were the only survivors. You can count me among those who will never forget the US service personel who died on that fateful day.
Paco........Many have forgotton. How many Toyotas or Mitsubishi's are driving around, not to mention everything else they make.
My dad was born 12/7/30... but remembers hearing about the attack on the radio as an 11 year old kid on his birthday. God bless all who served and those that continue to serve.
They will never be forgotten. I have a great uncle who was there he is 87 or 88 and remembers it clear as if it was yesterday.
One place where there is no conversation about Pearl harbor: every school in Japan, where the children are pretty sure they won the war, or would have except for American racism. My dad (born 1920, served Philippines 1943-45) still fumes about the decision to pretend that Hirohito and all other members of the Imperial family "knew nothing about any war crimes", via political pressure by MacArthur to make it easier for him to rule Japan as military governor 1945-51. It does make an interesting comparison to today's Iraqi occupation, though. How could we possibly control an entire nation of 72 million (we were only 131 million then)? How could we prevent IEDs, insurgents, sectarian violence? What is different between then and now that, somehow, is not open to discussion? They didn't have any weapons. We're the first nation, ever, to be that stupid.
Joe Nemish-Pearl Harbor Survivor Pearl Harbor Survivors Associtaion Chapter 19 President E-5 25th infantry division. My grandfather. The biggest hero in my life aside from my father. He told me that except for the birth of his children and marriage, Dec7th, 1941 had the largest impact on his life. He spent the rest of his life helping people remember and prolonging the legacy of the people that died that day and in the years afterwards. I grew up marching in parades and folding flags. My grandfather had memorials built and got tanks donated to parks. He got Pearl Harbor Survivors their own License plates in the state of California. He got a stretch of highway designated as the Pearl Harbor Survivors memorial highway. He has laid the wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier. In my lifetime, I will never accomplish what he has. He was different generation, and led a different lifestyle. At 89, after years of service to his country and his family, he can now hardly write his name. Honor the past. Remember Pearl Harbor.
Never forget! My grandfather worked at the Naval shipyard in Pearl Harbor during the attack. May God rest their souls to those that were there too. Ken
I'll bet not many know why Datsun changed their name to Nissan. It had everything to do with the VFW. They told Datsun that if they didn't change their name they were going to boycott them, and do everything in their power to have them removed from the U.S. market. Why you may ask. They made tanks during the war. In large letters on them it said Datsun. Take it from there.
That didn't stop Mitsuibishi. They even still have the same logo as on the planes. I see this original pin everytime I get in my coupe. Lest we forget. I don't know how many of you have been to the Memorial, but when I went with my Dad, I am not ashamed to say that I got a little teary eyed. It was very humbling. I read and studied WWII since I was 6. To actually stand there over the Arizona... words can not fully describe it. Very moving.
Been to the Memorial 5 times, the oil still leaks... lived on Oahu, been to the Navy base and Hickam field many many times. What the public doesn't see: some of the buildings at Hickam AFB still have the bullet holes in them as a reminder, especially the tower near the old Admin. building. I will never forget.
Remember it every day as well the rest of the 'big' one, Korea, Viet Nam and on and on. Lost too many family, friends and buddies along the way to ever forget any of the previous. Thanks to them all, bless them all and I will never forget any of them.
I was there for halloween and my cuisin lives on Hickam and showed me all of that stuff. It was an experiance I will never forget. He also told me about the water tower and how it was untouched as it looks like a church. Awesome experiance.
Never Forget... My Dad and his brother Frank- USAAF ; 1942 -1945 His brother Augie - USN ; 1939 - 1945 His brother Willie - USN ; 1942 -1945 My Dad was so proud that his Mother hung 4 stars from their NYC lower eastside apartment. I still have the 8mm movie of their coming home party, all in uniforms.
I work at a middle school all day today i have been grilling them about december 7th its sad how many of these kids have no idea what out troops do to keep their freedom.
The Jalopy Journal
