Remembering those lost at Pearl Harbor

Honolulu, Hawaii, Saturday evening, Dec. 6, 1941. It was a nice evening, and for those sailors who had the day off, it was a night of partying.

One sailor on the USS Arizona said of the evening, "It was so peaceful, so serene."

There was a light breeze, a full moon, and lots of stars. Saturday, Dec. 7, 8 a.m., time to raise the flags on all ships. However, men in the ship's tower saw planes coming toward them from every direction. The air seemed to vibrate.

At that time, Lt. Commander Ramsey sent out an urgent message: "Air raid, Pearl Harbor. This is not a drill."

When men saw they were bombing Ford Island, all hands went to their battle stations. At just 8:06 a.m., the USS Arizona was hit by a devastating blow when a 1,760-pound bomb hit its deck, penetrated the deck, and hit the ammunition storage area. A fireball shot 600 feet into the air. 

The ship was burning, and so were many men. Only 335 sailors survived; 1,177 died. Ultimately, 2,400 Americans were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

We were not ready for war; an example was that the Navy fleet was tightly packed, making easy targets for the 189 Japanese planes in the first wave. Thus commenced the U.S. entering into World War II.

The question is, are we ready now?

Roger Gregory served as a captain in the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam. He is a native of Sandpoint. He is now a business owner in Priest River.