Remember Pearl Harbor

[Ray]

 
 

 
 
70 years ago today...
 
 
 
Ray
 
 

[Gato4Astrid]

I remember that too - I already mentioned it in my Facebook

[z_k_g]

To all our present, past and fallen servicemen

Thank you!

Zulu

[Fuzzyone]

  I do not know if many people know this but Elvis Presley did a lot of concerts and donated the money to help build this. There is a small area on Pearl Harbor naval base that has a plaque to Elvis Presley stating these facts. I think he was filming Blue Hawaii at that time.

[Ray]

 
Yes, Elvis held a benefit concert in Hawaii in 1961 that raised $54k for the Arizona Memorial project.
 
That was a lot of money back then...
 
 
Ray
 
 

[Fuzzyone]

Yes, Elvis held a benefit concert in Hawaii in 1961 that raised $54k for the Arizona Memorial project.
 
That was a lot of money back then...
 
 
Ray

  I never knew it until I was outside this small arena on the base. My view of Elvis went up 100%. I was just surprised when I was there a lot of people did not know that.

[Dave H]

  I never knew it until I was outside this small arena on the base. My view of Elvis went up 100%. I was just surprised when I was there a lot of people did not know that.

Hey Fuzzyone,
I never knew that! I may have too name my next kid Elvis (Elvisa).   
Dave

[Dave H]

Most people don't know that the Japanese were invading the Philippines (northern islands) at the same time. Because of the International Date Line, the Philippine invasion is dated on December 8, 1941. Japanese planes attacked Clark Airfield in Pampanga and Nichols Field outside Manila several hours later.
 

"The Attack"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Clark_Air_Base#The_Attack
 On December 8, 1941, General Douglas MacArthur, who recently had been called back to active service and placed in command of all U.S. and Philippine forces, had known of the attack on Pearl Harbor since about five in the morning, but insisted on delaying any hostile act by the forces under his command until the Japanese committed an overt attack on the Philippines. Major General Lewis H. Brereton, Far East Air Force Commander, argued in vain that his bombers at Clark should be allowed to strike military targets on Taiwan, the location from which everyone felt the Japanese attack would come. Meanwhile, the B-17s at Clark were loaded first with anti-ship ordnance. Later, that order was rescinded and different bombs were uploaded for use against Japanese airfields on Taiwan. Eventually, Brereton got permission to send one B-17 on a reconnaissance mission to the north. When the attack came, maintenance crews were in the process of preparing the one reconnaissance plane, changing the bomb loads in the other B-17s, and refueling the fighters, which had just come in from patrol. The aircrews were eating lunch. They were sitting ducks. On December 8, 1941, the US Far East Air Force consisted of the 19th Bombardment Group (Heavy) under Colonel Eugene L. Eubank at Clark and the 24th Pursuit Group under Colonel Orrin L. Glover, also at Clark. The 19th had
 

• 3 B-17s assigned and consisted of the 28th and 30th Squadrons (8 B-17s and 2 B-18s) at Del Monte Field on Mindanao, a total of 13 craft
• the 24th Pursuit Group with its outmoded 18 P-35s was at nearby Del Carmen Field, now Basa Air Base, 18 craft
• the 24th Group consisted of the 3rd Pursuit Squadron (18 P-40Es) at Iba and the 17th and 21st Squadrons, with 18 P-40Es each, at Nichols Field, Manila, now Villamor Air Base, a total of 54 craft
• the 2nd Observation Squadron also had O-46 and O-52 aircraft at Clark
• Philippine Army Air Corps assets were old and few: 42 PT-13 trainers, 12 P-26 fighers, and three B-10s, a total of 57 craft.

The total number of available military airplanes at that moment was over 142 aircraft (not counting the O-46s and O-52s). Within a few hours, despite heroic efforts, almost all of these aircraft, with the exception of the ones deployed to Mindanao, were gone.

[piglett]

i guess they got caught with their nickers down around their ankles.
 
 
 
pig

[Ray]