This year marks the 81st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. On Dec. 7, 1941, America was caught flat-footed by a surprise Japanese attack on a target thought to be untouchable. As home to the Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor was host to over one hundred vessels, thousands of servicemen and hundreds of aircraft belonging to the U.S. Army and Navy. Who would be crazy enough to attack such a heavily fortified position?
But the idea, and the execution, weren’t crazy at all. In fact, if it were not for a significant stroke of luck, the attack on Pearl Harbor could have been the killing blow against the Pacific Fleet that it was intended to be.
Approximately 2,403 Americans lost their lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor, most of whom were on the battleship USS Arizona as it slipped beneath the surface of the harbor. However, that number would have paled in comparison to the body count that could have been caused if the attack had happened while even one of the Pacific Fleet’s three aircraft carriers was in port. Designated as priority targets by the Japanese military, each U.S. carrier was home to nearly 3,000 servicemen, and losing just one would have changed the landscape of the Pacific campaign dramatically.
As chance would have it, all three aircraft carriers were engaged in preparations for war in the Pacific theater that sent them away from Pearl Harbor prior to the attack. Ironically, USS Enterprise and USS Lexington were transporting aircraft to islands in the Pacific that would allow quick responses to areas at high risk of attack by the Japanese. Meanwhile, USS Saratoga was picking up its air wing in San Diego after undergoing an eight-month refit in the Puget Sound Navy Yard. These carriers became the backbone of the Pacific campaign.
Japan’s mistimed attack, meant to be a knockout, only dazed the Pacific Fleet. As America recovered from the sorrow of thousands of fallen servicemen, sadness became anger. On Dec. 8, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his famous “Day of Infamy” speech, and Congress officially declared war against Japan.
Six months later, at the Battle of Midway, all three American aircraft carriers played major roles in sinking four Japanese carriers. Widely considered to be the turning point of the Pacific campaign, there’s simply no telling how the battle would have gone if one or more of America’s aircraft carriers laid at the bottom of Pearl Harbor in place of USS Arizona.
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My dad’s oldest brother, FC1 Samuel Warwick Crowder, was one of the 429 casualties killed on the USS Oklahoma (BB 37). He first entered the Navy in 1924 at age 17 and was released in 1927. He returned back into the Navy in 1940 and was sent to several ship awaiting transfer to the British Navy. He finally was sent to the Oklahoma in November 1940, During Thanksgiving 1941 holiday, he traveled to my hometown to see his dad, my grandfather who he had not seen in over 25 years as his mother and father had divorced in 1913. He made peace with my grandfather. After the holiday he reported back to the Oklahoma and with 2 weeks, Uncle Samuel and 428 shipmates had perished.
In 2015, the Navy and DOD finally allowed the opening of the Oklahoma common graves preparing for the identification of the remains of the 429 Sailors and Marines. On August 28, 2017, our family received news that Uncle Samuel was positively identified. It took a few months to get his remains to arrive in his hometown of Louisville, KY. He arrived on Pearl Harbor night, 12/7/2017 and he was escorted by over 60 Rolling Thunder, Patriot Guard, Louisville Police Department and County Sheriff personnel. We saw numerous veterans who pulled off to the side of the freeway rendering a salute in honor of my uncle. His funeral was on the 9th of December 2017. We met 2 veterans whose own fathers were shipmates of my uncle.
Along with the funeral, at least 30 of Uncle Samuel’s nephews and nieces were present along with hone of his brother’s daughter who recently passed on.
December 7th is a very special day to all of in the Crowder family
Since the George W Bush Administration it is rare for the US government to associate Japan with its battles and war crimes. White House statements regarding rarely mention who bombed Pearl Harbor. Thank you for being honest with history.
Present Japanese society forget Pearl Harbor day shamelessly, forget even lessons of history, try to have capability that can attack neighbouring countries again on the pretext of far-east military tension.
Japan seems to want to begin the war stupidly.