by Jerry Peterson | Sep 13, 2019 | Obituaries, Pearl Harbor News, USS Arizona Memorial, USS Arizona Survivors
More than 75 years ago, thousands of men—some of them still in their teens—put their lives on the line when the Imperial Japanese Navy launched its attack on Pearl Harbor. Among them was Lauren Bruner, who was serving aboard USS Arizona (BB-39) when the mighty...
by Jerry Peterson | Mar 19, 2019 | Obituaries, Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, Pearl Harbor News
Arising from the devastation of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, there grew a sense of community around those involved in the deadly assault. In the aftermath of World War II, that community grew even larger, to encompass many others who recognized the...
by Jerry Peterson | Feb 26, 2019 | Literature of Pearl Harbor, Obituaries, Pearl Harbor News
Kauai native Alfred B. Rodrigues, Sr., known to everyone he met as “Uncle Al,” passed away on February 24, 2019. The 99-year-old World War II veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor was a husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather who was always eager...
by Jerry Peterson | Oct 26, 2018 | History, Learning Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona Memorial
Every branch of the United States Military has its own traditions. For the US Navy, Manning the Rail is an old practice that has gained special meaning at Pearl Harbor. While it may not be a phrase you hear often, if at all, in everyday life, when you’re visiting...
by Jerry Peterson | Aug 21, 2018 | Uncategorized
Ray Emory, a Pearl Harbor survivor who spent many years advocating on behalf of the men killed aboard USS Oklahoma (BB-37) whose remains were never identified, has died at the age of 97. Mr. Emory had recently moved from his long-time home in Hawaii to live with his...
by Jerry Peterson | Aug 9, 2018 | Attack of Pearl Harbor, Battleships, USS West Virginia Survivors, World War II
When Archie Kelley turned 100 years old, it was a milestone that many others wished to celebrate with him. Kelley’s 100th birthday wasn’t just any centennial celebration. This was the milestone event for a survivor of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. More...
by Jerry Peterson | Jun 29, 2018 | Attack of Pearl Harbor, Battleships, Destroyers, Gun Boats, Heavy Cruisers, Light Cruisers, Other Ships, Ships, Submarines
There were 130 vessels of the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941, the day of the Japanese surprise attack. Ninety-six of the Pearl Harbor ships were warships. Eight of these were battleships, seven of which were lined up along...
by Jerry Peterson | Jun 22, 2018 | Learning Pearl Harbor, Light Cruisers, Pacific Theater, World War II
USS Detroit (CL-8), an Omaha-class light cruiser, was first laid down on November 10, 1920 and commissioned into the US Navy on July 31, 1923. Detroit’s early years were mainly spent in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Later, she took part in maneuvers and fleet...
by Jerry Peterson | Jun 5, 2018 | Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Recent News
It started with a DNA sample. Ted Hummell never knew his uncle William Hellstern, but he had heard about him all his life from his mother, Jeanne. William Francis Hellstern was one of over 2,400 Americans who lost their lives on December 7th, 1941 when the Imperial...
by Jerry Peterson | May 14, 2018 | After The Attack, Learning Pearl Harbor, U.S. Leaders, WWII in America
Almost from the moment the Japanese planes returned to their ships after their devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, there were all kinds of conspiracy theories about how they could have pulled off such a large operation that took the United States by complete...
by Jerry Peterson | May 8, 2018 | Attack of Pearl Harbor, Battleships, Learning Pearl Harbor
On the morning of December 7, 1941, there were seven battleships moored along Battleship Row with an eighth nearby in dry dock. The USS Nevada (BB-36), USS Oklahoma (BB-37), USS Pennsylvania (BB-38), USS Arizona (BB-39), USS Tennessee (BB-43), USS California (BB-44),...
by Jerry Peterson | May 1, 2018 | Attack of Pearl Harbor, Japanese Aircraft, World War II
Their combined age at the time was barely old enough to enlist. Still, Pat Campbell and Jimmy Lee had front row seats for one of the most devastating events in American history. Here are some of their memories of Pearl Harbor and the attack that changed the course of...
by Jerry Peterson | Apr 5, 2018 | After The Attack, WWII in America
The shock and trauma of Pearl Harbor wasn’t only felt by adults. As news of the December 7, 1941 surprise Japanese attack spread across the United States, kids and adults alike all waited with racing hearts to hear what had happened, what the cause was, and if...
by Jerry Peterson | Mar 19, 2018 | Learning Pearl Harbor, Other Ships
The classifications of navy ships don’t require much explanation. Battleships are vessels designed specifically for battle. Aircraft carriers transport airplanes across the ocean. Destroyers, like battleships, were intended specifically for combat. So it...
by Jerry Peterson | Jul 12, 2017 | Current Events, Pearl Harbor Heroes, Pearl Harbor Survivors
USS Arizona survivor Donald Stratton is looking to press Washington DC lawmakers to honor a fellow Pearl Harbor veteran for the heroic act that saved his life and those of several other Arizona crewmen. After a bomb ignited a huge cache of ammunition, Stratton and...
by Jerry Peterson | May 24, 2017 | Current Events, Pearl Harbor Today, Submarines
Pearl Harbor may best be known to civilians for its place in American history, but not everything about the iconic naval base is rooted in the past. The USS Arizona Memorial is the iconic face of December 7, 1941, and while it continues to draw travelers from all over...
