HONOLULU — Survivors of the 1941 Japanese War The bombing of Pearl Harbor It has long been the center of a commemorative ceremony held every year on the military base’s waterfront.
But today only 12 people are still alive – all of them centenarians – and this year none of them were able to make the pilgrimage to Hawaii to celebrate the event scheduled for Sunday.
That means no one in attendance will have direct memories of serving during the attack, which killed more than 2,300 soldiers and thrust the United States into World War II. This development is not surprising, but rather the development of an ongoing trend. As the number of survivors dwindles, their descendants and the public are increasingly turning to other ways to learn about the bombing.
“The thought of there not being a survivor out there for the first time — I don’t know — just hurt my heart in a way I can’t describe,” said Kimberly Heinrichs, whose father was 105. Ira “Ike” is a young man He had to cancel travel plans from Oregon after falling ill.
Survivors have been present every year in recent memory Except 2020 When the Navy and National Park Service closed the celebration to the general public due to the health risks of the coronavirus pandemic.
The ceremony begins with a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., the same time the attack began on December 7, 1941. A solemn ritual follows.
Fighter jets fly overhead in a “missing man formation,” with one plane taking off to symbolize the missing. Survivors give wreaths to honor the dead, although active duty forces have taken over this task in recent years. Survivors rise to salute active-duty sailors who salute themselves as their ship passes by the USS Arizona Memorial, which sits atop the submerged hull of the warship that sank in the attack.
About 2,000 survivors attended the 50th anniversary celebration in 1991. A few dozen have attended in recent decades. last year, Only two succeeded. This is among an estimated 87,000 soldiers stationed on Oahu that day.
Many of the survivors were cheerful despite the occasion, happy to catch up with old friends and take photographs. However, the horrific memories were rarely far from their minds.
In the year 2023, Harry Chandler stared across the water While he told the Associated Press How the reporter was raising the flag in a mobile hospital in the hills above the base when he saw Japanese planes flying and dropping bombs. Chandler and his fellow Navy hospital personnel jumped into trucks to help the wounded.
He talked about seeing the Arizona explode and hearing the sailors trapped in it The capsized battleship USS Oklahoma They tap hard on the hull of their ship to summon rescue. He helped care for Oklahoma sailors after the crew punched holes in the warship.
“I can still see what was happening,” Chandler said. He died The following year at a senior living center in Tequesta, Florida.
Bombing has long held different meanings for different people, writes historian Emily S. Rosenberg in her book, History That Will Live: Pearl Harbor in American Memory.
Some say this highlights the need for a well-equipped military and a vigilant foreign policy. In the eyes of some, it evokes the state of “incompetence or deception” practiced by the administration of President Franklin Roosevelt at the time, and the unfair use of the military institution as a scapegoat. Others focus on Japan’s “betrayal” or heroic actions by members of the forces, she wrote.
When asked what he wanted Americans to know about Pearl Harbor, Chandler said: “Be prepared.”
“We should have known this would happen,” he said. “Intelligence must be better.”
Le Contre, who was The last survivor of Arizona When he died last year at the age of 102, He told the AP in 2019 He loved coming to remember those who lost their lives.
“It’s always good to come back and pay respect to them and give them the highest honor they deserve,” Conter said.
Heinrich’s father has died six times since 2016. The former tuba player aboard the USS Dobbin likes to go not only to remember those killed but also in lieu of his departed bandmates; His three brothers who fought in World War II; And the deceased Pearl Harbor survivors he met.
Conditions are similar to the early 20th century when Civil War veterans were dying in increasing numbers, said Daniel Martinez, a retired National Park Service historian at Pearl Harbor. He said awareness grew that they would soon no longer be able to share their stories of Gettysburg and other battles.
Martinez knew something similar could happen with the Pearl Harbor survivors and recorded their oral histories. During the 1998 conference, he conducted interviews for 12 hours a day for three days. Today the Park Service has nearly 800 interviews, most of them via video.
“They remain part of the national memory of a non-America, non-world day,” Martinez said.
The park service displays some of them at the Pearl Harbor Museum and aims to include more after renovations, said David Kelton, the agency’s chief of Pearl Harbor Interpretation, Education and Visitor Services.
The Library of Congress contains collections of 535 Pearl Harbor survivors, including interviews, letters, photographs, and diaries. More than 80% are online. They are part of the library Veterans History Project From the first-hand memories of veterans who served in World War I and beyond. Many have been recorded by relatives, Eagle Scouts, and other hobbyists interested in documenting history.
Sons and daughters of Pearl Harbor survivors give presentations at schools and organize marches in rallies to share their family stories. The California chapter added six new members this year, including two great-grandchildren of survivors.
“When they’re all gone, we’ll still be here,” said Deidre Kelly, the group’s president. “And we intend to keep the memory alive as long as we live.”