Sun Dec 7th, 2014-73 yrs ago, the Japanese opened a can of worms they soon regretted.

[jdlii]

December 7. It has always made me remember and this morning I remembered to put up THE flag.

My neighbors drive by, stare and generally ask me a few days later why I flew the colors. I just smile and tell them why. They generally get that blank look on their faces and say "Oh yeah, I forgot".

My Dad's favorite Pearl Harbor jokes:

1. You can always tell when it is Dec. 7 because there is a little
"Nip" in the air.
2. Did you hear about the Japanese pilot who went to a bar, got
drunk and bombed Peal Bailey?

 

[Fat Frank]

I was lucky enogh to visit the Arizona Memorial when I was getting ready to retire. I was at a small joint USAF/Australian base in the desert, so they had to send me to the nearest USAF installation that could handle retirement physicals - Hickam! One week TDY. Also drove around Ford Island. You can still see the bullet holes in lots of the buildings on Hickam.
I also remember something an old friend told me. I had gotten to know George Madis, noted Winchester expert/writer, and he told me how the Japanese ruined his 10th birthday (He was born 7Dec31). He definitely never forgot that!

 

[jimbo728]

A day never to forget. Rex Barber was credited for the kill of Isoroko Yamamoto in 2003. Previously the kill was shared by Tom Lanphier until bullet path evidence confirmed Barbers report. The kill was ordered by President Roosevelt.
Yamamoto argued against war with The United States. He was correct in all accounts that Japan could not win a war against The United States. But once ordered to attack, his duty was to obey.
April 18th 1943, Yamamoto`s Betty was shot down and he died.
Jim

 

[THE PILGRIM]

As I have posted before- my Father in Law had already been called up and was in Mobile, AL watching Sgt. York when the movie was stopped and The Pearl Harbor attack was announced.
By the time of the Tokyo raid, he was stationed in Africa. He met Jimmy Doolittle there as Jimmy was taking the westward route home.

 

[angel71rs]

Flag out flying today in front of our home, and in front of many of our neighbor's homes. It's a good neighborhood, many of us former military.

I worked there for three years and was always treated couteously and respectfully.

Maybe you were there more recently and a civilian. The "Japanese only" signs on the restaurants near the bases at Iwakuni & Yokosuka, getting kicked out of restaurants far from base that didn't have a sign up, the protests telling us to GTFO... yeah, they weren't so nice to us.

 

[cmort666]

It was a stupid war, started by the Japanese to prop up another stupid war.

The war (and the one before it in China) was allegedly fought to "defeat communism". If that were actually the case (instead of mere plunder), then for the Japanese it was an UTTER failure. Instead of defeating communism, they gave it a billion more victims, made China an actual threat to Japan for the first time in hundreds of years, stripped Japan of ALL of its overseas possessions, destroyed the existing power structure, and reduced the populace to literal starvation.

The Japanese fought the war for stupid reasons, and as time went on, in increasingly stupid ways.

Contrary to the delusions of ultra-leftists, neo-Nazis and Japanese ultra-rightwingers, we didn't start the war. But as used to be our custom, we finished it decisively through a combination of implacable resolution and technological innovation. And when it was all over, we didn't go on the sort of rampage of rape and murder to which many others would have thought themselves entitled as revenge.

 

[cmort666]

Yamamoto argued against war with The United States. He was correct in all accounts that Japan could not win a war against The United States. But once ordered to attack, his duty was to obey.

And though he made mistakes and unwise gambles, he was the best they ever had, and none of his successors could hold a candle to him.

I sometimes wonder what might have happened, if during the Tokyo Army revolt, he'd done as he threatened and turned the guns of the fleet on the mutineers, then assumed power as "Shogun".

They couldn't have come out worse in the end than they actually did.

 

[the ringo kid]

I worked there for three years and was always treated couteously and respectfully. Just don't talk about the war as it is still a source of great shame.

I noticed in Germany that the war is still very taboo but--when the Germans start trusting you--boy you will hear the stories flow. I spent two days with the survivors of U 181, and a day with a Knights Cross recipient--boy they had stories. The KCR--was Flemish and told me stuf not printed in his book. His favorite story was when he was stationed on the Eastern Front--was picked by his Company Sergeant to stand two duty watches. Instead--he went to a nearby village--took a weeks worth of suger ration--bought two bottles of Vodka,got stinking drunk--slpet through both duty watches--awoke only wwhen his Sergeant Major grabbed him by a boot--and pdragged him to his COs tent and tried to get him court-martialled. This wa pre KC days. He chose to stay--was placed in a Penal Battalion--did his time, and later earned the Knights Cross for KOing at least 17 Russian tanks and killing at least 100 infantry--single-handed--behind enemy lines for 3 days--and wounded 5 times. Not a plug for his book but--its called: The Last Knight of Flanders.....

 

[the ringo kid]

Thanks for sharing; you don't see anything in the papers/media about this much anymore.

Me either.I watched as much news on diff stations last night--and somme this morning---and not a "smidgeon of mention." No cable stationplpaying appropriate movies either. Here localy=--on special historical days(pre-cable) they always played an appropriate movie which were mainly showed on Channel 3 here. In late Feb-early March--they would always play: The Alamo. On June 6th--The Longest Day--etc. On PHDay--it woule be usualy: Midway, or something else more appropriate.

 

[the ringo kid]

Yamamoto was an enemy that attacked us, therefore we were justified in eliminating him. He planned the raid, but the politicians were responsible for declaring war on us. If he had survived I wonder if he would have been charged with war crimes? Nonetheless, I respect him as a brilliant military leader, utterly capable, competent and sensible. And I'm damn glad we won that war. They might have kicked us off some islands, but that industrial might that Yamamoto had tried to avoid came back to haunt them in a very big way. It might have taken longer and cost many more lives, but even without the atomic bombs the home islands would have been RAZED to the ground. No hard feelings, that's just fact.

Well said and fully agree with every word.I respect a game enemy. To me Yammamoto is the Japanese equal to Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel. I believe that Yammamoto was "Americanized" enough to try to keep from committing war crimes if it were in his power to do so? however,ive been known to be wrong at east once.

 

[the ringo kid]

A day never to forget. Rex Barber was credited for the kill of Isoroko Yamamoto in 2003. Previously the kill was shared by Tom Lanphier until bullet path evidence confirmed Barbers report. The kill was ordered by President Roosevelt.
Yamamoto argued against war with The United States. He was correct in all accounts that Japan could not win a war against The United States. But once ordered to attack, his duty was to obey.
April 18th 1943, Yamamoto`s Betty was shot down and he died.
Jim

I hope im not wrong but--didnt they use a squadron of P-38s to do the Yammamoto kill??

 

[the ringo kid]

Flag out flying today in front of our home, and in front of many of our neighbor's homes. It's a good neighborhood, many of us former military.

Maybe you were there more recently and a civilian. The "Japanese only" signs on the restaurants near the bases at Iwakuni & Yokosuka, getting kicked out of restaurants far from base that didn't have a sign up, the protests telling us to GTFO... yeah, they weren't so nice to us.

Same thing in Germany with Japanese tourists. Those people were so rude an I almost busted one in the mouth when I was touring Rothenberg o.d.T. Instead--I shoved him out of the way. I almost swiped at another who stole my map of Heidelberg when I was there too. From my experiances in Germany with Germans--well, to be nice--the Germans didnt care much for them but did like Amis for the most part. )

 

[legelegel]

Remembering all those who lost their lives on December 7, 1941 and remembering all those whose lives were changed because of the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor and their sacrifices that followed.

 

[41 fan]

Hey Angel,

When were you at Yokosuka? I was homeported there from 1969 till 1973. No signs during my time there. Every Japanese person I had dealings with was fine. Dean

 

[JeffNW]

"Fortress"-a great WWII film.

"....the Japanese opened a can of worms''. Yeah, and Hitler compounded this stupidity by declaring war on us on Dec. 11th-big mistake, Adolf!

Speaking about the ETO I'd like to highly recommend a movie I saw on Netflix Sat. night: Fortress.

For those out there who endlessly admire the B-17 Flying Fortress, are WWII buffs, or just enjoy good war movies, you won't want to miss this one.

Most of this relatively low budget movie-only about $2 million to make-is made possible by really spectacular special effects;the air combat, scenes of scores of Fortresses taking off, flying, landing, aerial scenes of the N. African bomber base, the bomb run, and even one of a damaged Fort flying low over Rome's Colosseum!

And the storyline doesn't lag between the missions-it's basically about a green replacement co-pilot being rejected but gradually accepted by his crew mates interspersed with scenes of getting drunk, boredom, sitting around sweating in the desert's 105 degree heat.

 

[angel71rs]

Hey Angel,

When were you at Yokosuka?

Off and on 82, 83. I went over with a recon squadron and we would go to Yoko to catch a ride on the Midway sometimes. One time we got dumped off by the Midway at Sasebo. Greeted by a flotilla of small craft telling us to GTFO as we approached. Like I wanted to be there.

Some of the old timers on the Midway told us it wasn't always that way. But maybe as the Japanese economic strength picked up, so did their arrogance??? Not too much later the head of Sony was talking about "the hollowing of America". Yeah, they were feeling their oats, but how are they doing now? We have our ups and downs over here, but their economy has been weak leg for a loooong time. They just went into another recession. Be lucky if they don't end up in a depression on one of their recessions du jour.

 

[jarhead1178]

Flag out flying today in front of our home, and in front of many of our neighbor's homes. It's a good neighborhood, many of us former military.

Maybe you were there more recently and a civilian. The "Japanese only" signs on the restaurants near the bases at Iwakuni & Yokosuka, getting kicked out of restaurants far from base that didn't have a sign up, the protests telling us to GTFO... yeah, they weren't so nice to us.

I was in Yokuska naval hospital in 1952 and stationed at Atsugi NAS with the 1sr MAW in 1957,58 and 59. Don't remember any signs and never had a bad word said to me. Just my experience sorry you had bad experiences,.

 

[rwsmith]

Yamamoto tried to tell them....

I've read a lot about WWII. One thing still puzzles me is their (apparent) thinking that after Pearl Harbor we would just roll over. Did any of them even look at a map of the USA?

He had the real picture. He traveled the US in several capacities. Because the US didn't subscribe to Bushido, they assumed we were weak willed and cowardly and would give up easily. Had our aircraft carriers been at Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack, we would have been in dire straits but would have recovered in time. Maybe they would even have been attacked on our West coast, but it didn't happen that way.

 

[rwsmith]

My neighbor and my music teacher....

My brother & I "never"forget Dec.7....NEVER!My Dad was there.....every Dec.7 no matter where we were, we would get a call....son ,you know what today is!!
Jim

My neighbor and my music teacher were there. My neighbor was close to town which was a safer place to be but still terrifying and dangerous. My music teacher was at Wheeler Field. They ran out of the barracks that were being strafed and ducked down in a ditch. He said when a plane banked he could see the pilot plain as day.

 

[DaGOOSExyz]

My hat is off to all who fought and died in WW2. In fact to all who have
fought for freedom in any war.