Pearl Harbor Day 2024

[moon puppy]

100-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor recalls confusion and chaos during Japanese bombing 83 years ago

Two survivors of the bombing — each 100 or older — are planning to return to Pearl Harbor on Saturday to observe the 83rd anniversary of the attack that thrust the US into World War II.

nypost.com

100 year old survivors are meeting at Pearl Harbor. Their can't be that many of them left now. The last Arizona survivor died a couple of years ago.

 

[Paulw]

Yes, it is coming close to the 83rd anniversary of Pearl. I also have to look at Wake Island only because it has family history for me. I remember when I was 10 or 11 and I saw a program on TV that the WWII vets were in their late 40's and early 50's. Now they are almost all gone. I do feel a great sense of loss here. I always feel a sense of loss when one of my brothers or sisters at arms passes. From WWII to today.

 

[iambrb]

Wow so sad. It seems the world has forgotten

 

[RichB]

Veterans Affairs' 2023 estimate numbered WW2 and Korean War veterans at 9,200 in Canada. Many of our Korean war vets were also WW2 vets so their average age is in the mid to high 90's. My uncle would have been 100 at the end of last month if he had survived WW2.

It's not expected that there will be any D-Day veterans remaining for the 85th anniversary in 2029.

Cheers,
RichB

 

[Heavens Eagle]

Yes it is so sad that so many have passed on. I personally knew 2 veterans fairly well. The first was Jack. He was a naval aviator and flight engineer. He flew PBY3s during the war searching for submarines. He told us a number of stories about his time in the navy. He was injured with a broken back when he and a fairly new pilot were doing touch and goes just off shore to get the new guy used to landing the plane. They came in for one more pass and hit a log. The plane took a huge hit and Jack's seat belt popped apart and he ended up under and it front of the instrument panel. The plane started taking on water. Luckily they were close to shore and the new pilot red lined the engines and managed to beach the plane. Jack spent about 6 months in recovery. According to him he flew at least one of every type of plane the navy had during the war at one point or another.

The second WWII Veteran I knew was Ted. He was a corpsman on Iwo. His first step onto the island was apparently onto the body of a dead marine. He wasn't there long and while helping a couple of wounded marines back to base a mortar exploded close by. He was seriously injured but was still able to get the injured marines back to base. He started to go back out to help some more, but they sent him back to the US as he was injured bad enough that he couldn't be in the fight anymore. Ted was always very soft spoken and almost never spoke about his experiences.

I am sure I knew others, but many never spoke about their service, or I was too young to even pay attention.

 

[Rhino]

We arrived at the Saturday Pearl Harbor ceremony here too late for the gun salute. I might have gotten carried away working on an aircraft carrier model for a Navy vet.