I remember the day. I was a young kid and remember grandpa, grandma and my uncle Bill coming over to our house and discussing something that they were very concerned about. Didn't know what was happening but remember the day.
Pearl Harbor Day
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My Grandfather was exempted from WW1 because of flat feet.
My Dad missed WW2 because he was nearsighted.
I have flatter feet and worse vision than either of them & was drafted in 1966 to spend a year in Vietnam.
Yes they were the Greatest Generation, but I have wonder just how low the standard is today! ...
My Dad missed WW2 because he was nearsighted.
I have flatter feet and worse vision than either of them & was drafted in 1966 to spend a year in Vietnam.
Yes they were the Greatest Generation, but I have wonder just how low the standard is today! ...
Originally Posted by ammolab
My Grandfather was exempted from WW1 because of flat feet.
My Dad missed WW2 because he was nearsighted.
I have flatter feet and worse vision than either of them & was drafted in 1966 to spend a year in Vietnam.
Yes they were the Greatest Generation, but I have wonder just how low the standard is today! ...
The standard to get into the military is higher than ever. You have to pass multiple tests. If you have a felony record you are not considered.
My Grandfather was exempted from WW1 because of flat feet.
My Dad missed WW2 because he was nearsighted.
I have flatter feet and worse vision than either of them & was drafted in 1966 to spend a year in Vietnam.
Yes they were the Greatest Generation, but I have wonder just how low the standard is today! ...
The standard to get into the military is higher than ever. You have to pass multiple tests. If you have a felony record you are not considered.
Originally Posted by ammolab
My Grandfather was exempted from WW1 because of flat feet.
My Dad missed WW2 because he was nearsighted.
I have flatter feet and worse vision than either of them & was drafted in 1966 to spend a year in Vietnam.
Yes they were the Greatest Generation, but I have wonder just how low the standard is today! ...
I joined the Marines and did 2 tours in Nam.
And yes the standards were very low during Viet Nam.
I think if you could chew milk and hear thunder you were in.
Those that were not considered first rate could still fill a job and free up others for more demanding duty.
My Grandfather was exempted from WW1 because of flat feet.
My Dad missed WW2 because he was nearsighted.
I have flatter feet and worse vision than either of them & was drafted in 1966 to spend a year in Vietnam.
Yes they were the Greatest Generation, but I have wonder just how low the standard is today! ...
I joined the Marines and did 2 tours in Nam.
And yes the standards were very low during Viet Nam.
I think if you could chew milk and hear thunder you were in.
Those that were not considered first rate could still fill a job and free up others for more demanding duty.
During WWII
My father was 4F but still joined the Merchant Marines to serve aboard cargo ships.He was torpedoed once and spent some time in a lifeboat.
Three other Uncles served and one was killed.
My Grandfather who was born in 1884 built submarines during WWI returned to the shipyards to build Liberty ships during WWII.
My Mother worked at a company named Weston in N.J.Her job was to calibrate gauges used in Airplanes.
It seems almost everyone wanted to help out in some way during WWII.
My father was 4F but still joined the Merchant Marines to serve aboard cargo ships.He was torpedoed once and spent some time in a lifeboat.
Three other Uncles served and one was killed.
My Grandfather who was born in 1884 built submarines during WWI returned to the shipyards to build Liberty ships during WWII.
My Mother worked at a company named Weston in N.J.Her job was to calibrate gauges used in Airplanes.
It seems almost everyone wanted to help out in some way during WWII.
Originally Posted by redbone3
My Dad spent WWII anchored in the Pacific ocean on a parts barge for cruisers, armed only with a .45 revolver. He survived because during the big typhoon, the barge weathered the storm by deploying two cruiser anchors. How about some other war stories.
My Dad spent WWII anchored in the Pacific ocean on a parts barge for cruisers, armed only with a .45 revolver. He survived because during the big typhoon, the barge weathered the storm by deploying two cruiser anchors. How about some other war stories.
Originally Posted by marine65
During WWII
My father was 4F but still joined the Merchant Marines to serve aboard cargo ships.He was torpedoed once and spent some time in a lifeboat.
...
The irony being is that he was statistically more likely to die than the average army infantryman....
During WWII
My father was 4F but still joined the Merchant Marines to serve aboard cargo ships.He was torpedoed once and spent some time in a lifeboat.
...
The irony being is that he was statistically more likely to die than the average army infantryman....
Originally Posted by jstert
the 7 dec 41 japanese attacks were not only against hawaii; philippines, malaya and singapore were hit too. i spent most of my career in asia, memories of what the japanese did died slowly. my dad was an m.p. in europe, he landed on omaha beach early on 6/6/44 without a scratch. a high school classmate was a crewman on another landing craft on his trroopship, he was sent home badly wounded and later met my grandmother to tell her of her son. my dad's landing craft was milling around for awhile until it was ordered to just dump them anywhere on the beach and return to get more troops. he went in over his 6'2" head. a shorter guy grabbed him and they both went under until my dad pushed him off and got his footing. he never knew what happened to the short guy. by the time he got off the beach he had no ammo left for his carbine but had no memory of firing it. the rest of his war was spent directing traffic, chasing blackmarketers and collecting pows, until his scout car ran over a friendly landmine by mistake. he was ok but banged up. at v-e day he was offered a short ocs course as he had been trained in amphibious warfare, which he guessed meant a ticket to the japanese invasion. he declined, he used up all his luck at normandy, he explained.
What a guy he was...
the 7 dec 41 japanese attacks were not only against hawaii; philippines, malaya and singapore were hit too. i spent most of my career in asia, memories of what the japanese did died slowly. my dad was an m.p. in europe, he landed on omaha beach early on 6/6/44 without a scratch. a high school classmate was a crewman on another landing craft on his trroopship, he was sent home badly wounded and later met my grandmother to tell her of her son. my dad's landing craft was milling around for awhile until it was ordered to just dump them anywhere on the beach and return to get more troops. he went in over his 6'2" head. a shorter guy grabbed him and they both went under until my dad pushed him off and got his footing. he never knew what happened to the short guy. by the time he got off the beach he had no ammo left for his carbine but had no memory of firing it. the rest of his war was spent directing traffic, chasing blackmarketers and collecting pows, until his scout car ran over a friendly landmine by mistake. he was ok but banged up. at v-e day he was offered a short ocs course as he had been trained in amphibious warfare, which he guessed meant a ticket to the japanese invasion. he declined, he used up all his luck at normandy, he explained.
What a guy he was...
My wife's dad, Virgil, passed away before I met her, but I would have been pleased, and proud, to have been able to meet and speak with him. On December 7, 1941, he was a civilian employee of the Navy working in aviation maintenance in Hawaii. (Possibly assigned to an activity on Ford Island?) Exactly what he did for them I do not know. My late mother-in-law was a nurse working in a civilian hospital in Honolulu, and two months pregnant with my oldest sister-in-law on December 7. My mother-in-law told me that Virgil (nicknamed "Butter") went into work that day and did not come home for two days. She watched the attack from the street, and confirms Japanese planes flew extremely low. She also mentioned the poor conditions that existed at civilian and military hospitals in Hawaii at the time. In 1941 they just didn't have the staff, skills, supplies, and ward space they would have a few years later. Nobody would have imagined the mass casualties flooding the few medical facilities after the attacks that Sunday. The family still has a few pieces of evidence from the attack, but now scattered among various surviving members.
Originally Posted by Nickdfresh
Not only were the battleships becoming secondary to air power, most of the ones anchored at Pearl were already obsolete as front line warships. The ones that were raised still proved useful in shore bombardment later on. The carriers were indeed not at Pearl Harbor, they were busy ferrying planes to Wake and Midway IIRC. Those were the places that the coming Japanese attack was considered likely...
As far as the radar guys, I think they were largely in testing mode, and even if they had made more noise about an impending attack, it's hard to say if it would have made much difference as few fighters still would have gotten off the ground...
It did not matter the Commanders at Pearl and Hickham really never cared to communicate with each other and Intel from Washington about a likely Japanese attack was not shared with the Pacific Commanders. A lot of circumstances led to the possibility of this tragedy.
Not only were the battleships becoming secondary to air power, most of the ones anchored at Pearl were already obsolete as front line warships. The ones that were raised still proved useful in shore bombardment later on. The carriers were indeed not at Pearl Harbor, they were busy ferrying planes to Wake and Midway IIRC. Those were the places that the coming Japanese attack was considered likely...
As far as the radar guys, I think they were largely in testing mode, and even if they had made more noise about an impending attack, it's hard to say if it would have made much difference as few fighters still would have gotten off the ground...
It did not matter the Commanders at Pearl and Hickham really never cared to communicate with each other and Intel from Washington about a likely Japanese attack was not shared with the Pacific Commanders. A lot of circumstances led to the possibility of this tragedy.
thank you very much, very kind of you to say so, but they all were quite some guys weren't they?
i remember sitting around, hearing my dad and his friends tell their stories... mr. green who flew b17s and hated all loud noises ("remember to whisper, the greens are coming"). the husband of my dad's secretary who spent one frozen night in a shellhole in the ardennes with two dead germans and thereafter loved his drinks too much. mr. garrett who loved fly fishing and was a canadian artillery officer in italy. mr. burden who lived near the coast but hated the ocean after serving as a radioman on a canadian frigate doing north atlantic convoy duty. the ex paratrooper, dad's postwar college classmate, who would rap the steel plate on his head for the kids on football tailgate weekends, but i forget his name. they are mostly gone now and we who knew them and their world will be gone too. i wonder if the coming world will think on them and be better for it, but i don't know.
i remember sitting around, hearing my dad and his friends tell their stories... mr. green who flew b17s and hated all loud noises ("remember to whisper, the greens are coming"). the husband of my dad's secretary who spent one frozen night in a shellhole in the ardennes with two dead germans and thereafter loved his drinks too much. mr. garrett who loved fly fishing and was a canadian artillery officer in italy. mr. burden who lived near the coast but hated the ocean after serving as a radioman on a canadian frigate doing north atlantic convoy duty. the ex paratrooper, dad's postwar college classmate, who would rap the steel plate on his head for the kids on football tailgate weekends, but i forget his name. they are mostly gone now and we who knew them and their world will be gone too. i wonder if the coming world will think on them and be better for it, but i don't know.
The Japanese are thaught very little it is a footnote of the war which started in 1937 the Sino-Chinese war. It is thought that Japan had to strike the U.S. because of the embragoes placed on Japan by the Allies of America, Britian, and Holland. Because of the embargoes impossed war was inevitable.
Still it is not a proud moment viewed by the Japanese in their history.
Still it is not a proud moment viewed by the Japanese in their history.
Originally Posted by dave1251
The Japanese are thaught very little it is a footnote of the war which started in 1937 the Sino-Chinese war. It is thought that Japan had to strike the U.S. because of the embragoes placed on Japan by the Allies of America, Britian, and Holland. Because of the embargoes impossed war was inevitable.
Still it is not a proud moment viewed by the Japanese in their history.
FDR imposed the sanctions (money freeze, oil, and rubber embargoes) after the Japanese invasion/occupation of China. (20 million Chinese casualties and millions of atrocities committed during that action, by the way, let's not forget that).
But he continued to work through his Secretary of State for peace in China and French Indochina, and lifting of the sanctions. The final proposed peace plan and lifting of the sanctions on Japan, was delivered by Secretary of State Cordell Hull on 26 November, 1941.
Japan rejected it on 5 December 1941.
Their carrier fleet had left weeks prior for the strike on Pearl Harbor.
The Japanese are thaught very little it is a footnote of the war which started in 1937 the Sino-Chinese war. It is thought that Japan had to strike the U.S. because of the embragoes placed on Japan by the Allies of America, Britian, and Holland. Because of the embargoes impossed war was inevitable.
Still it is not a proud moment viewed by the Japanese in their history.
FDR imposed the sanctions (money freeze, oil, and rubber embargoes) after the Japanese invasion/occupation of China. (20 million Chinese casualties and millions of atrocities committed during that action, by the way, let's not forget that).
But he continued to work through his Secretary of State for peace in China and French Indochina, and lifting of the sanctions. The final proposed peace plan and lifting of the sanctions on Japan, was delivered by Secretary of State Cordell Hull on 26 November, 1941.
Japan rejected it on 5 December 1941.
Their carrier fleet had left weeks prior for the strike on Pearl Harbor.
The Japanese wouldn't know it for a while, but it was a pretty horrible day for their nation too.
May the proud warriors rest in honor and peace.
May the proud warriors rest in honor and peace.
Originally Posted by redbone3
My Dad spent WWII anchored in the Pacific ocean on a parts barge for cruisers, armed only with a .45 revolver. He survived because during the big typhoon, the barge weathered the storm by deploying two cruiser anchors. How about some other war stories.
Reminds me of the time i spent in the Philippines during a typhoon, we were a maintenance detachment out of Guam for VQ-1, had an EC-121 Connie down with a bad engine and they couldn't fly here out, had to taxi it out to the runway with a pilot copilot and flt engineer to ride it out in the winds with three turning and one dead engine, pilots did an awesome job land flying the big bird.
My Dad spent WWII anchored in the Pacific ocean on a parts barge for cruisers, armed only with a .45 revolver. He survived because during the big typhoon, the barge weathered the storm by deploying two cruiser anchors. How about some other war stories.
Reminds me of the time i spent in the Philippines during a typhoon, we were a maintenance detachment out of Guam for VQ-1, had an EC-121 Connie down with a bad engine and they couldn't fly here out, had to taxi it out to the runway with a pilot copilot and flt engineer to ride it out in the winds with three turning and one dead engine, pilots did an awesome job land flying the big bird.
My Dad and Uncle were both "man of peace". And refused to serve. I respect his decision. He did not tell me much about it as he did not want to influence decisions I might make with respect to Vietnam. I got a #114 draft number and was never called.
My great grandfather was famous in aviation and started Aeronautical Engineering Dept at Stanford. He was brought out of retirement at the end of WWII and the first jet flew shortly after.
My great grandfather was famous in aviation and started Aeronautical Engineering Dept at Stanford. He was brought out of retirement at the end of WWII and the first jet flew shortly after.
Originally Posted by DoubleWasp
The Japanese wouldn't know it for a while, but it was a pretty horrible day for their nation too.
Agreed, as is any date the includes the start of hostilities that mean mass death, maiming injuries, and the homelessness of hundreds of thousands. War is [censored].
The Japanese wouldn't know it for a while, but it was a pretty horrible day for their nation too.
Agreed, as is any date the includes the start of hostilities that mean mass death, maiming injuries, and the homelessness of hundreds of thousands. War is [censored].
Remains of sailor killed at Pearl Harbor identified
Associated Press CHEVEL JOHNSON,Associated Press Fri, Dec 14 6:30 PM EST
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![[Linked Image]](https://s2.yimg.com/lo/api/res/1.2/wu5EDM2rzZK6TkiM7s33HA--/YXBwaWQ9eW15O3E9NzU7dz02NDA7c209MTtpbD1wbGFuZQ--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/97f899ce121f49339c2a0cd1dd978bd9.jpg "[Linked Image]")
This photo provided by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency shows Navy Seaman 2nd Class Charles C. Gomez, Jr., 19, of Slidell, Louisiana, killed during World War II, and was accounted for on Sept. 19, 2018. On Dec. 7, 1941, Gomez was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Gomez. (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency via AP)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Full military honors will be given to a Louisiana sailor whose remains have been identified more than 75 years after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
The remains of Navy Seaman 2nd Class Charles C. Gomez Jr., of Slidell, were accounted for Sept. 19, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Friday.
Gomez was assigned to the USS Oklahoma battleship on Dec. 7, 1941 when Japanese aircraft attacked it at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. Among the more than 2,300 American military personnel killed that day were 429 USS Oklahoma crewmen, including then-19-year-old Gomez.
His family was informed of the identity match earlier this week.
"I still can't believe it," said Charles Fogg, Gomez's nephew. "It's unbelievable after all this time."
Fogg, 65, of Pearl River, Louisiana, never met his uncle but often heard his mother and her siblings talk about him during family gatherings.
"As a kid, I'd often hear my grandpa say, 'Pray for my son to be found.' I guess I was 6 or 7 at the time. But it all comes in God's time I guess," he said.
Until now, Gomez's remains had been interred among 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the site. Officials say a rosette will be placed by his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Fogg said the DPAA took DNA samples from his mother and one of her brothers to help identify the remains.
"We were hoping the identification would happen in their lifetime," he said. "We almost made it. Both of them recently passed away."
Fogg said a memorial service will be held at the Veterans Administration facility in Slidell on June 3, 2019, on what would have been Gomez's 97th birthday.
"That gives us time to really plan it and line things up right and give family time to get here. We're really excited about it. He's going to get full military honors," he said. "We're looking forward to it. It's a sad but exciting time, knowing that he's finally coming home."
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Associated Press CHEVEL JOHNSON,Associated Press Fri, Dec 14 6:30 PM EST
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This photo provided by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency shows Navy Seaman 2nd Class Charles C. Gomez, Jr., 19, of Slidell, Louisiana, killed during World War II, and was accounted for on Sept. 19, 2018. On Dec. 7, 1941, Gomez was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Gomez. (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency via AP)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Full military honors will be given to a Louisiana sailor whose remains have been identified more than 75 years after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
The remains of Navy Seaman 2nd Class Charles C. Gomez Jr., of Slidell, were accounted for Sept. 19, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Friday.
Gomez was assigned to the USS Oklahoma battleship on Dec. 7, 1941 when Japanese aircraft attacked it at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. Among the more than 2,300 American military personnel killed that day were 429 USS Oklahoma crewmen, including then-19-year-old Gomez.
His family was informed of the identity match earlier this week.
"I still can't believe it," said Charles Fogg, Gomez's nephew. "It's unbelievable after all this time."
Fogg, 65, of Pearl River, Louisiana, never met his uncle but often heard his mother and her siblings talk about him during family gatherings.
"As a kid, I'd often hear my grandpa say, 'Pray for my son to be found.' I guess I was 6 or 7 at the time. But it all comes in God's time I guess," he said.
Until now, Gomez's remains had been interred among 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at the site. Officials say a rosette will be placed by his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Fogg said the DPAA took DNA samples from his mother and one of her brothers to help identify the remains.
"We were hoping the identification would happen in their lifetime," he said. "We almost made it. Both of them recently passed away."
Fogg said a memorial service will be held at the Veterans Administration facility in Slidell on June 3, 2019, on what would have been Gomez's 97th birthday.
"That gives us time to really plan it and line things up right and give family time to get here. We're really excited about it. He's going to get full military honors," he said. "We're looking forward to it. It's a sad but exciting time, knowing that he's finally coming home."
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My sister-in-law's grand-uncle (I think) was a diver at Pearl after the attack and told me some horrific things I'd rather not repeat. He's gone now, and it was over 20 years ago or so I talked to him while everyone sort of avoided him as sort of an old kook. I could tell he was "touched" and never quite right after working on the hulks of ships and having to deal with remains floating well into 1942. It's something a glistening, white monument doesn't adequately express...
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