How did Pearl Harbor impact the lives of those in Hawaii. I've often wondered, but have never looked at the question in depth. I appreciate this article today for doing exactly that.

Children carried gas masks to the playground. Military officers commanded civilian courts under martial law. Residents feared that enemy troops would parachute into the mountains and then swarm the beaches.

This year's 66th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor offers reminders of how the assault upended the lives of Hawaii's civilians, in addition to the severe damage inflicted on the military.

"It was scary," said Joan Martin Rodby, who had to carry a gas mask everywhere as a 10-year-old -- even as she sat for her fifth-grade class portrait in 1942. "It was more or less living in constant fear they were always going to come back."

Annual remembrances of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack often evoke images of burning ships in Pearl Harbor and exploding planes at Hickam Field. This year's observance will be no different. But the plight of civilians who survived the attack has attracted more attention because of deepening interest in the home front during World War II.

"Maybe the unsung heroes that we should remember and look at are the civilians that endured the attack on Pearl Harbor and the years after it," said Daniel Martinez, chief historian at the USS Arizona Memorial.

At this great distance from the events of December 7, 1941, we face the reality that those who lived the events of that day are dying. It is important that we hold on to these memories, so that future generations know the full impact of the attack that dragged an unwilling nation into war. Thank you to the Washington Post, and reporter Audrey McAvoy, for enabling us to hold on to that history.

Posted by: Greg at 11:36 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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