Pearl Harbor Day Reunion 2014

By Douglas V. Gibbs

With each passing year, the reunion number is dwindling.  The Pearl Harbor survivors are over 90-years old, and the members of that group that got together today in Hawaii numbered a little more than a dozen.

Today marks the 73rd Anniversary of the attack against Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, during which 2,400 sailors, Marines, and soldiers were killed.  Some have called the reunion of the USS Arizona Reunion Association the last gathering of USS Arizona survivors, but the gathering doesn't see this meeting as the last one, just yet.  The USS Arizona was a battleship that was sank during the December 7, 1941 attack by the Japanese.  The fallen vessel is now the home of the USS Arizona Memorial, an undersea grave site for the crewmembers that did not survive the attack.

Drinking from replicas of champagne glasses from the Arizona, the men are sharing a bottle of sparkling wine that was a gift to the survivors association from President Gerald Ford's visit to Spain in 1975.  When they arrived at Pearl Harbor, they received the "thank you" for their service they deserved, filled with military salutes, music from the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet Band and photos from tourists.

When I was discharged from the United States Navy in 1988, my partial disability as a result of a head injury I incurred in a service-related accident landed me at the Veteran's Administration Medical Center in La Jolla down by San Diego, a city where I spent most of my military service.  And I remember the joy of going to the VA hospital during my various doctor's appointments over the years because, though the wait to be seen could be a long affair, it also gave me the opportunity to listen to the stories of World War II by the veterans waiting in the lobby with me.  My memories are filled with tales of air and sea battles in the Pacific, and heart-pounding confrontations in France and Germany.  I was once told a harrowing story of a downed plane above Italy, crash landing in enemy territory, and the incredible trek back across the battle line into an allied camp.  I also heard stories of battles in North Africa, Navy encounters with U-Boats in the Atlantic, and island hopping battles against the Japanese in the South Pacific.  My memories are filled with incredible stories of World War II, fed to me directly by the men that were there.

My Grandfather also was a World War II veteran.  He served mostly in France.  His sense of humor had us kids convinced he had walked up to Adolf Hitler and punched him in the nose, but in reality, he spent a large part of his service in France as a Military Police.  After the war, Thurman feared flying, because of a downing of his plane over Italy during a reassignment.  When I was a kid, he lived in Arkansas, and would only take the bus to California to visit, as a result of his fear of flying.  In his later years he was cared for my his daughter, my mom, and I spent a number of moments with him in the garage, where he smoked his chain of cigarettes, and told me about his time during the war.  Thurman Douglas Clark died September 17, 2003.  I received my first name from him, and more memories of the fine members of the United States Military during World War II.

A couple years ago, during a Veteran's Day event in Hemet, California, I had the chance to speak to a 90-years-young Navy Veteran who told me that Pearl Harbor is what encouraged him to enlist.  The recruiters were bombarded with young men entering the military after Pearl Harbor, prepared to put their lives on the line to defend America against the enemy that dared to commit such a horrendous act of war against the United States on our own soil.  He talked about his fears as a young man right out of high school, and about how many guys lied about their age to get in and that it was not unheard of to see servicemembers age 17, 16, and even one time he came across a kid that was only 15.  He told me about his service as a gunner in a fighter airplane, hearing the bullets from the enemy whiz by, and the adrenaline-pumping landings on the aircraft carriers where one mistake by the pilot could mean the death of both men.  "It was like trying to land on a postage stamp, that moves."

All of the men I talked to, when they talked about the other personnel they served with, their friends, and their brothers in arms, always had tears in their eyes while recalling their fallen battery-mates.  They talked more about the heroics of others more than anything they did themselves.  If I commented that their own actions were heroic, they would always shrug it off, smile, and say something like, "It was just my job," or "You would have done the same," or "The training is what made me able to survive and fight the enemy, not me. . . I was a frightened boy deep inside."

We call them "The Greatest Generation" for a reason.

The USS Arizona, now peaceful under the Hawaiian waters, serving as a blessed tomb for the brave Americans that died there, is home to more than 900 lost souls of the 1,177 that died on the Battleship Arizona.  Ashes of 38 survivors are also interred there.

When I visited the Arizona in Hawaii, I removed my hat, bowed my head, and said a little prayer.  I was humbled by the experience, and thankful for the willingness of our military members of the past to offer the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.  Standing in the presence of the fallen souls of these heroes was a very solemn experience, and one that I will remember for a lifetime.

Thank you, World War II Veterans.  Your story, and sacrifices, will not be forgotten.  The appreciation for your service, or at least in the mind of this writer, is beyond what words can convey.

Pearl Harbor, as President Roosevelt said at the time, is a day that will live in infamy.  As with 9/11, we must never forget.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Pearl Harbor survivors reunite in Hawaii to mark 73rd anniversary of attack - Fox News