December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy
DrDarryl
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Share your 1941 dated coins, medals, or tokens?
Starting off with my Remember Pearl Harbor medal research collection.
https://coins.collectors-society.com/wcm/CoinCustomSetView.aspx?s=12054
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Throw a coin enough times, and suppose one day it lands on its edge.
It’s also Delaware Day when the state became the first to ratify the constitution in 1787. Peal Harbor overshadows it.
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
As the years go by the attack on Pearl Harbor recedes farther into the past.
If a service member was at Pearl Harbor on 12-7-1941 (82 years ago) and was 17 years of age at the time, he or she would now be 99 years old. There are likely less than 100 people who were in the service and at Pearl Harbor on that day who are still alive today.
If a service member was active in the U.S. Military during the closing days of WWII (August/September, 1945) and was 17 years old at the time he or she would be 95 years old today.
I check news sites every December 7 and find that as the years go by there is less and less coverage of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
I am 67 years old and remember events from my childhood (holidays, parades, etc.) where veterans who fought in the Spanish American War, WWI, WWII and Korea were present, accounted for and celebrated. Time definitely flies.
So today, take a moment and remember Pearl Harbor, plus all who served in the US Military that day.
The perpetual oil slick on the surface of the water above the USS Arizona, constantly fed by drops of oil that have risen to the surface since December 7, 1941.
My uncle, KIA 12/7/1941...Rest in Peace!
K
My uncle was there and survived. He passed away from cancer over a decade ago. I still think of him and the other American heroes, every year, on this date.
When asked why the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor; The Japanese admiral said:
That always stuck with me....Don't mess with the U.S.A.!!
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Yamamoto: I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
This captured the moment
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
Per DrDarryl's request.
It is hard to imagine that who was once our GREATEST MORTAL ENEMY is now one of our BEST ALLIES,,,,,,,,,, my how times change.
Pearl Harbor today as we looked back from the Arizona Memorial's ferry to the permanently moored U.S.S. Missouri.
The consequent War Effort as Memorialized at the Nevada State Museum which was formerly the Carson City Mint:
There was also a second attack intended for Pearl Harbor on March 4, 1942. Two Kawanishi H8K Japanese Navy flying boats (later known by the allied code name "Emily") were tasked with bombing a repair facility at Pearl Harbor. They refueled from a Japanese submarine at French Frigate Shoals and then took off. Weather conditions and visibility were terrible. US P-40s sent to intercept the incoming aircraft couldn't find them. Both aircraft dropped their bombs. One set of bombs fell into the water and another landed near a high school miles from Pearl Harbor. None of the bombs did more than break some windows. The two flying boats then flew back to the Mariana Islands. The extremely long distance mission was a failure.
Pearl Harbor Survivors Medal Antiqued Bronze were for presentation to those veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, or their next of kin, who defended Pearl Harbor and other military installations in Hawaii against attack on December 7, 1941. Medals were not sold to the public. 30,651 were shipped as of September 30, 1992.
My uncle was at Pearl on the U.S.S. Solace AH-5 - a hospital ship not damaged on that day. He was aboard that ship for the duration of the war—saw every major battle location in the Pacific and all the wounded being brought aboard.
He was in the Pearl Harbor Survivors organization and travelled back to Pearl for many association remembrances on Dec 7th. A tough man, when he talked about that day his eyes would fill up with tears, especially later in life, he died 13 years ago.
RIP Uncle Ort and thank you for your service.
In one way or another each of us, through our individual legacies, have been impacted by the aftermath of that December 7th day of 1941 which as stated in the words of the then President, "lives in infamy." Like many others, my own father in his personal history described the impact of that day on his decision to defend his Country.
He wrote, "After Pearl Harbor Day, I decided that i would prefer to serve my country in the Navy." At the time he lived on a ranch near Elko, Nevada. He enlisted in the Navy in Salt Lake City. It was during his service that he met my mother at church in Chicago where he was spending nine months in aviation metalsmith school which was located on Chicago's Navy Pier.
I, my siblings, and our progeny would not be here today but for Pearl Harbor.
Indeed!
Sometimes, it’s better to be LUCKY than good. 🍀 🍺👍
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947):
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Nice. I saved a 1941 dime and penny.
My grandfather was born on December 7,1891. Relatives and friends were having a 50th birthday party for him, after church, at his house on December 7,1941. When they heard the news, a nephew who was in the army, had to leave to report for duty.
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
If some weren’t aware, survivors that saw duty onboard the Arizona can be interred there upon their death.
From NPS:
USS Arizona Interments
A total of 334 crewmembers survived the USS Arizona sinking. Some of them have chosen to be interred on the USS Arizona upon their death.
Only USS Arizona survivors can be interred on the USS Arizona. Pearl Harbor survivors can have their ashes scattered over Pearl Harbor.
The memorial service and interment of deceased USS Arizona Survivors is conducted on the USS Arizona Memorial. The service includes a committal service, interment, rifle salute, TAPS, flag presentation, and plaque presentation.
The urns of the deceased are placed in the well of barbette no. four.
Lou Conter, 102, is the last living survivor of the Arizona.
Throw a coin enough times, and suppose one day it lands on its edge.
So many war remembrances. Too many. But we honor those who served/perished, as we must.
I read a news report last night which show a picture of only living crew member of the Arizona. He is 102 years old.
I wonder how he feels being the only crew member left.
We've all seen the film of the Arizona explosion. That film is backwards. The vantage point is from a hospital (I think) ship on the other side of Ford Island.
Throw a coin enough times, and suppose one day it lands on its edge.
If you pause the the film you can see some other events happening.
Less than a second before the explosion. You can see the mainmasts of the Tennessee and West Virginia. The WV has a big list and is in danger of capsizing after being hit by 7 torpedoes.
If you zoom in on the extreme left of the picture, you can see the mainmast of the Oklahoma which capsized after getting hit by 9 torpedoes. At the edge of the fireball is the superstructure and foremast of the Tennessee.
Throw a coin enough times, and suppose one day it lands on its edge.