A Date Which Will Live in Infamy

As I was laying in bed this morning, wide awake on a Sunday at precisely 6 am like clock work with the early morning Hawaiian sunshine as my daily, omnipresent alarm clock, I realized that today was the anniversary December 7, 1941. There have been lots of December 7th days in my life thus far, 29 to be exact. However, this one felt different.

Growing up, my dad, the proud patriot and history enthusiast, reminded us every year that December 7th was the date Pearl Harbor was bombed. As a child, it wasn't a holiday that would necessarily be noted otherwise: it isn't a federal holiday, one doesn't receive a day off of school, nor is it necessarily marked by backyard BBQs and proud displays of red,white and blue. However, it is an important date in history and a national day of remembrance, and I am so thankful that it was made important to me at such a young age.

While Jordan was working on a 24 hour duty shift last night, I sat on the couch listlessly flipping through the channels and half-interested in whatever was displayed on the TV. I really didn't put two-and-two together when I finally settled on "Pearl Harbor, " which just happened to be deliberately was chosen to be programmed. And while back when the movie was first released in 2001, my high-school girlfriends and I were probably predominately swooning over Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett and earnestly discussing which one was the cuter of the two, it was a surreal experience to re-watch this movie again now that we live here on Oahu. Yes, the movie is still primarily a hollywood, cheesy love triangle, with history as it's backdrop, but watching the footage of the actual bombing and it's aftermath hit me in a way that it never has before. Not only was I overwhelmed by combining the volatile images on the screen to what I know to be Pearl Harbor today, but the scene in which others are trying to free trapped sailors from their sunken ships as they incessantly and desperately tap on the metal to let others know of their presence and precarious situation was quite emotional. Having now visited the Pearl Harbor memorial, as well as driven by and seen the military base quite often, I was able to envision this scene more vividly than ever before (although, it is still absolutely incomprehensible to say the very least).

On December 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy," America's Naval base at Pearl Harbor was attacked. However, a little known fact and what I did not learn until we moved to Marine Corps Base Kaneohe, is that Kaneohe Bay was actually the first military base hit in the raid and was attacked approximately 9 minutes before Pearl Harbor was hit! If only modern day technology and communication existed back then, Pearl Harbor could have been a completely different story. Jordan's squadron hangar today still has bullet holes visible from that day, and is considered a historical building and can't be torn down still stands today as tangible proof of what happened that day.

Of the 33 PBY Catalina "flying boats" that were on the ground or moored at Kaneohe Bay, 27 were destroyed.

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Pictures of the Japanese, two-man midget submarine that grounded on the reef near Kailua and Marine Corps Base Kaneohe. Ensign Kazuo Sakamaki was captured was the first prisoner of war taken by the United States in World War II. 

These are the Mokolua Islands in the background, the iconic twin islands that are off the coast of Kailua and Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay.

There were also casualties and wounded at nearby, Bellows Air Force base. They included 3 pilots, who attempted to take off in their P-40s. One was shot as he climbed into the cockpit of his plane, a second was shot down almost immediately after takeoff, and a third swam to shore when his compromised aircraft crashed into the Ocean.

I had no idea that our favorite beach is actually a burial place for those who perished that day.

Previous blog pictures of this same beach, back when we couldn't wait for this to be our new "backyard" and before we realized the significance and sacredness of this spot.

This is a historic photo of Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay. These sailors are honoring the souls lost on December 7, 1941. At the base of the crater that you see in the background, is where our home now is. 

Just wanted to leave you all with a little piece of insider history from Oahu. May you all spend your Sunday doing something amazing, and that which would make the men who died that day happy to see you doing in their honor!