This Post Was Written By Cindy

Pearl Harbor was originally a shallow embankment called Wai Momi (Pearl Water) or Pu'rloa (long Hill). It was considered the home of the shark goddess, Ka'ahupahua, and her brother, Kahiuka. Tradition says that Keaunui, the legendary chief of the Ewa chiefs is the one w ho created a navigable channel near the present day Pu'uloa saltworks. The estuary known as "Pearl River" was then accessible to shipping. It was never used for large shipping because of the shallow entrance. As whaling and trading began to use the islands as a half-way point in the Pacific, by 1820 the US was looking for a major harbor. It was not until the turn of the century that Pearl Harbor began to be refitted for larger naval vessels. The naval base we know today was formally opened when the dry dock was open to flooding on August 21, 1919. As early as February 1, 1933, the Navy staged a mock attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. The exercise was a disaster. Even in 1933 it was known that Pearl Harbor's defenses were considered, after the mock attack by Japan, a failure. It makes the events of December 7, 1941 even more heart-wrenching. The War Department knew the attack was coming. They did not know when. They did not realize that Pearl Harbor, which was basically a sitting duck, was to be the location of the attack. It was assumed the attack would come in the Philippines.

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Photo taken by a Japanese plane shows Battleship Row at the
beginning of the attack, along with the strike on the USS Oklahoma

"...Under the command of Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, the attack was devastating in loss of life and damage to the U.S. fleet. At 06:05 on December 7, the six Japanese carriers launched a first wave of 183 aircraft composed mainly of dive bombers, horizontal bombers and fighters. The Japanese hit American ships and military installations at 07:51. The first wave attacked military airfields of Ford Island. At 08:30, a second wave of 170 Japanese aircraft, mostly torpedo bombers, attacked the fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor. The battleship Arizona was hit with an armor-piercing bomb which penetrated the forward ammunition compartment, blowing the ship apart and sinking it within seconds. Overall, nine ships of the U.S. fleet were sunk and 21 ships were severely damaged. Three of the 21 would be irreparable. The overall death toll reached 2,403, including 68 civilians, and 1,178 injured. Of the military personnel lost at Pearl Harbor, 1,177 were from the Arizona. The first shots fired were from the destroyer Ward on a midget submarine that surfaced outside of Pearl Harbor; Ward sank the midget sub at approximately 06:55, about an hour before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Japan would lose 29 out of the 350 aircraft they attacked with...."

Click For Full SizeUSS ArizonaThe attack on Pearl Harbor, called Hawaii Operation or Operation Al by the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters was designed to prevent the US Pacific Fleet from interfering with their military actions in Southeast Asia, against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, Netherlands, and the US. The Japanese attack was so thorough that only 29 aircraft and five midget submarines were lost. The US death toll was 2,403. Only 65 Japanese servicemen were killed or wounded. One Japanese sailor was captured.
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USS Arizona MemorialJoint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam WWII In The Pacific

Thanks to Greta Perry & John Donovan

Second Lt. Perla Kimes
 
 Second Lt. Perla Kimes has her bars of gold pinned on during a commissioning
 ceremony this summer at the Leader Development and Assessment Course
on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Michael

2nd Lt. William Edward Metzger, Jr.
22 years old from Lima, Ohio
729th Bombardment Squadron, 452nd Bomb Group (Heavy)
November 9, 1944
 
 
On May 16, 1945 2nd Lt. William E. Metzger was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions six months earlier. His citation reads: "On a bombing run upon the marshaling yards at Saarbrücken, Germany, on 9 November 1944, a B17 aircraft on which 2d Lt. Metzger was serving as copilot was seriously damaged by antiaircraft fire. Three of the aircraft's engines were damaged beyond control and on fire; dangerous flames from the No. 4 engine were leaping back as far as the tail assembly. Flares in the cockpit were ignited and a fire roared therein which was further increased by free-flowing fluid from damaged hydraulic lines. The interphone system was rendered useless. In addition to these serious mechanical difficulties the engineer was wounded in the leg and the radio operator's arm was severed below the elbow. Suffering from intense pain, despite the application of a tourniquet, the radio operator fell unconscious. Faced with the imminent explosion of his aircraft and death to his entire crew, mere seconds before bombs away on the target, 2d Lt. Metzger and his pilot conferred. Something had to be done immediately to save the life of the wounded radio operator. The lack of a static line and the thought that his unconscious body striking the ground in unknown territory would not bring immediate medical attention forced a quick decision. 2d Lt. Metzger and his pilot decided to fly the flaming aircraft to friendly territory and then attempt to crash land. Bombs were released on the target and the crippled aircraft proceeded along to Allied-controlled territory. When that had been reached 2d Lt. Metzger personally informed all crewmembers to bail out upon the suggestion of the pilot. 2d Lt. Metzger chose to remain with the pilot for the crash landing in order to assist him in this emergency. With only 1 normally functioning engine and with the danger of explosion much greater, the aircraft banked into an open field, and when it was at an altitude of 100 feet it exploded, crashed, exploded again, and then disintegrated. All 3 crewmembers were instantly killed. 2d Lt. Metzger's loyalty to his crew, his determination to accomplish the task set forth to him, and his deed of knowingly performing what may have been his last service to his country was an example of valor at its highest." 2nd Lt. Metzger's pilot, 1st Lt. Donald J. Gott, was also awarded the Medal Of Honor for his actions that day. A video tribute to the three men lost.

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Pet

Col. Van T. Barfoot
91 years old from Henrico County, Virginia
157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division

 
 
In December 2009 Van T. Barfoot made national headlines when he wanted to fly his American flag in his yard but was told to take it down by his homeowners association. It's still flying proudly today. But that's just one small event in the life of Mr. Barfoot. Long before he decided to fly that flag he defended it during W.W.II. Barfoot joined the Army in 1940 and was shipped to Italy in 1943 where distinguished himself in 1944 when, in the course of a single day, he advanced alone through a minefield, took out a German machine gun with a hand grenade, single handily killed eight German soldiers, captured seventeen, disabled a tank with a bazooka and then returned to his own lines and helped two of his own wounded squad members. All which earned him the Medal Of Honor. So it comes as no surprise that when he wanted to fly the American fly he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

 

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Michael

Cpl. Lloyd Oliver 88 years old
from Glendale, Arizona
April 23, 1923 - March 16, 2011


"Am I a hero? I don't know. Yeah. I'll be a hero. I'll go for that. Yeah." Wednesday Hero profiled the Code Talkers way back in 2005. But this week it is honoring Cpl. Lloyd Oliver. Cpl. Oliver was one of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers. He joined the Marines in 1942 at the age of 19 because he wanted to serve his country. Which he did, proudly, for three years. In 2001 he received the Congressional Gold Medal for being one of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers. He passed away on March 16 of pancreatitis. Cpl. Oliver was only one of two remaining original Navajo Code Talkers. Not only have we lost a great man, a brave man, but a piece of history is another step closer to being gone forever. We must keep them, and their place in it, alive for future generations. You can read more about Cpl. Lloyd Oliver here and here.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

We are back in Florida this week while the kids are on spring break.  It is nice to be back home for a little while.  We had been looking forward to a little break.

Derek's schedule has been hectic (Dave is helping coach the baseball team this season) and he just got picked up for First Sergeant's Academy.  Life is getting ready to be a little more hectic.

So, we are enjoying this little break while we can.  More upates soon...

Wednesday Hero:This Weeks Post Was Inspired By Sgt. Epler

Sgt. Ed Eaton From Tillamook, Oregon

While many view snipers as the hidden (safe) threats in war based on their forays in First Person Shooter video games and movies like Saving Private Ryan and Enemy at The Gates, the fact of the matter is that snipers like any other soldiers in war are very successible to danger – especially in the case of Sergeant Ed Eaton’s brave protection and rescue of comrade in arms Major Mike Perkins when he had fallen injured in a night assault during the Vietnam war 1969 You can read more about Sgt. Eaton here. A quick caveat though. In doing research for this post this is the best site I could find for information on Sgt. Eaton. It's not a site that I would normally link to for Wednesday Hero, but, like I said, it has the best information. There's nothing really bad on it, but it may have some posts that some may not like.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.