Eighty-Three Years Ago In History

There are many of the readers of the PCN that may not have even been born "83 years ago" and there are many who may not recall learning about December 7th of 1941 in their history class in high school. So, why does the date of December 7, 1941 stick out in history? This day will forever be known as "Pearl Harbor Day" when time stood still and death came quickly.

It was on this day at 7:48 a.m. (Hawaiian time) the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The attack began with the first bombing in the hangars and parked aircraft of the islands airfields while, at the same time they launched torpedoes against the American warships moored in the harbor. In a quick fashion, five minutes within the attack, four battleships were hit. Those hit included the USS Oklahoma and the USS Arizona. It was only four minutes later that the Arizona exploded after a bomb hit its gunpowder stores. With this hit, the ship sank. In that instant, 1,177 members of its crew were killed.

Within the next hour, that devastating attack was followed by a second wave of 163 Japanese aircraft. In the next two hours, 21 of our US warships had been sunk or damaged. An additional 188 aircraft were destroyed and 2,403 of our servicemen and women were killed.

Many of the ships were repaired and fought again in later conflicts and battles. The attack on Pearl Harbor was the deadliest attack against the U.S. in its history at the time. It remained the deadliest until the tragic attack in September of 2001 (9-11).

In addition to the military members lost that day, there were 68 civilians, 25 women and 11 children. Those that were wounded totaled nearly 1,200. It was a black day in American history.

It was no surprise to the Japanese, who executed and carried out the attack, however Japan and the U.S. had been edging forward into war for decades. The U.S. was particularly unhappy with Japan's increasing belligerent attitude toward China, and the Japanese government believed the only way to solve its economic and demographic problems was to expand into its neighbor's territory and take over the import market. To this end, Japan declared war on China in 1937; the result of this was in the Nanking Massacre and other atrocities.

The U.S. responded to the aggression with various sanction and trade embargoes. Their reasoning was that without access to goods and money, especially the essential supplies like oil, Japan would have to hold off on any expansionism. This failed to please the Japanese, and during months of negotiation between Washington, D.C. and Tokyo ended up with neither willing to compromise to appease the other. At this point, war was all but inevitable.

That quiet morning, December 7, 1941 the Japanese torpedo bombers flew just 50 feet above the water as they fired at the U.S. ships in the harbor. Other planes targeted the decks with bullets and dropped bombs. At 8:10 a.m. an 1800 pound bomb shattered through the USS Arizona and landed in the forward ammunition magazine, causing the ship to explode and sink with more than 1,000 men trapped inside.

This was followed by torpedoes piercing the shell of the USS Oklahoma which had 400 sailors aboard; this caused it to roll on her side and slip away underwater.

In less than two hours, the attack was over, and every battleship in Pearl Harbor had sustained significant damage. All but the USS Arizona and USS Utah were eventually salvaged and repaired. But...the Japanese had failed to cripple the Pacific Fleet. Due to the fact that by the 1940's battleship were no longer the most important vessel: the aircraft carriers were and as it happened on that day, all of the Pacific Fleet's carriers were away from the base that day.

Even more important, the assault left the base's most vital onshore facilities – oil storage depots, repair shops, shipyards and submarine docks - intact. With this being the situation, the U.S. Navy was able to rebound quick quickly from the attack.

On December 8th President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress, stating, "December 7, 1941 is a date that will live in infamy..."

It was on that date that Congress approved Roosevelt's declaration on war on Japan. There was only one vote against it – that came from Jeannette Rankin of Montana. She said, "As a woman, I can't go to war, and I refuse to send anyone else."

Three days later, Japan's allies Germany and Italy declared war against the United States. For a second time, Congress reciprocated, declaring war on the European powers, and more than two years after the start of World War ll, we entered the conflict.

On this day Montana would lose 14 individuals in the casualty count, including Lloyd Daniel - Navy (Park Co.) aboard the USS Arizona; Jerald Dyllam – Navy (Lewis and Clark County) aboard the USS Arizona; Lowell Jackson - (Silver Bow Butte Co.) on the USS Vessel; Joseph Marling - Navy (Granite Co.) USS Vessel; Donald Meagher - Army Air Corps, (Cascade Co.) MIA; Carlo Michelletto, Marines (Richland Co.) MIA; Earl Morrison, Navy (Richland Co.) USS Arizona; George Morris, Navy (Missoula Co.) USS Arizona; Emil Ronning, Navy (Choteau Co.) USS Nevada; Harold Scilley – Navy (Carbon Co.) USS Arizona, MIA; William Sellon – Navy (Missoula Co.) USS Oklahoma; George Smart – Navy (Lake Co.) USS Arizona; Lewis Stockdale – Navy (Deer Lodge Co.) USS Oklahoma; and Richard Trujillo – Marines (Yellowstone) USS Nevada.

There was one man from Phillips County that lived through the experience. His stories, like many of the soldiers and service men who returned, were rarely, if ever shared. The tragic happenings in war are most likely deeply imbedded in their memories, where their protector has stored them. They don't need to relive it again.

From information gathered on this event, one local veteran who was at the Pearl Harbor devastating tragedy was Rolly Kaufman. Unfortunately, Rolly is unavailable as a resource as well. He passed in July of 2007. His son, Douglas, who resides in Lancaster, PA., shared that his dad had been on the hospital ship USS Solace, anchored close to the Arizona. "He was in the safest spot because it was a hospital ship and wasn't bombarded. He was getting a minor procedure prior to ending his four-year term and go back to the states."

Before his departure, after the incident changed lives forever, "He helped cleanup after the raid and bury people in mass graves."

Douglas added, ...which he never talked about until the end of his life when he told my brother, Buzz."

One other veteran known to have been at Pearl Harbor is Vernon "C" Robinson, step-grandfather of Krista Fahlgren, of Malta. Details of his memories were unavailable at the time this is going to print.

Research shows that the youngest victim of the attack was just three months old. The victim was home with her mother and aunt, and all three were killed when a shell hit their home.

Among the 2,390 killed were 1,999 Navy veterans, 109 Marine, 233 Army, 49 civilians, and there were 1,178 wounded. Those injured were 710 Navy, 69 Marines, 364 Army, and 35 civilians.

When the bombs hit Pearl Harbor that quiet Sunday morning, there were 102 ships stationed at the base. This count included eight battle ships, three cruisers, four destroyers, and 73 other ships. As a result of the attack, 69 ships sustained no damage, and 15 sustained minor damage. There were 11 ships that sustained medium to heavy damage.

Seven ships were sunk, including the USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma and USS Utah.

Twelve ships were sunk or beached and nine damaged. The loss of aircraft through destruction was 164 and another 159 were damaged.

The USS Arizona continues to leak 2-9 quarts of oil each day and there are no plans to pump out the oil. The site is an active military cemetery, and the resting place of hundreds of sailors and marines still entombed with her hull; their final resting place is sacred ground and will not be disturbed. The rusting wreckage still lies where it was sunk; and will forever be holding more than 900 sailors and marines. Only 334 crew members survived.

The continuous oil leak droplets blended with the water of the ocean are known as the "Black Tears of the Arizona" and shall be over the burial ground of those who gave their life that day, and the wreckage continues to be compromised. Over time, she will rust and erode to a point of being unrecognizable, however, that will be quite some time.

From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel had the painstaking task of recovering the remains of the crew the lost in catastrophic event. Families had the right to know, though many, knowing where their loved one was station, probably knew without being told. The remains of the deceased were initially interred in Hawaii's Halawa and Nu'uanu Cemeteries. It was in 1947 that the American Graves Registration Service exhumed the remains and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. This was an attempt to identify the lost crew members. As diligent as the effort was, only 35 of the 429 sailors were successfully identified, leaving the other 400 remains to be buried "Unknowns" in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. This was known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu.

Then is 2003, due to the diligent research of Pearl Harbor survivor Ray Emory, a single casket associated with the USS Oklahoma was exhumed. With the advancing technology in forensics and DNA analysis, it was revealed that the remains were commingled, representing at least 95 individuals. The breakthrough led to the identification of five additional five crew members. Five families at least could close the unending search for answers, but none were from Montana.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, working with the Department of Veteran Affairs, launched the USS Oklahoma Project. The goal was to exhume all the unidentified remains from the ship and utilize advanced forensic technologies, again, using DNA, with the hope to bring closure to as many families as possible. By December 2017, 100 more crew members have been positively identified. Seventy-six years since the families heard of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, some could know their loved one had been identified. Another veteran from Montana, Wes Brown of Helena, was identified through this process; he was laid to rest in Smithland, Iowa, next to his mother and sister, who had died long before his remains could be identified.

Then in June 2021, 338 individuals, which is about 86% of the unknowns, were identified. The project has aims of reaching up to 90% of the USS Oklahoma fallen crew.

Montanan's oldest known survivor of Pearl Harbor, Charlie Dowd, died in March. U.S. congressional delegation passed a bill to rename the Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic in Butte after Dawd.

Both Kaufman and Robinson are at their final rest in the Malta Cemetery. Thank you for your service.