Survivors mark 60th anniversary of Pearl Harbor attack

By Jaymes Song

Associated Press

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii – Clear morning skies darkened over the naval base on Dec. 7, 1941, as bombs rained down from waves of Japanese planes.

Sixty years later, in the midst of a far different war spurred by another surprise attack, Pearl Harbor survivors were gathering in Hawaii today to pay tribute to those who perished the day America was plunged into World War II.

“The whole world changed for us,” said 84-year-old Douglas Phillips of Easton, Md., who was on the USS Ramsay during the attack.

Survivors say the services in Hawaii are particularly meaningful this year. Since many of them are in their 80s, this may be the last time they see Pearl Harbor, or each other.

In New Orleans, former President Bush, himself a Naval pilot in World War II, linked the attack with the Sept. 11 terrorism in New York and Washington.

“Today we are in a different war. But I think duty, honor, country still prevails,” the president’s father said. “They say today ‘Remember Pearl Harbor,’ but I think, we as a nation, also remember September 11 and we have a good, strong commander in chief.”

Bush spoke at the National D-Day Museum’s ribbon-cutting for a new wing honoring those who fought in the Pacific Theater in World War II.

Over the past week, Oahu was host to ceremonies and speeches honoring veterans and their fallen friends, and dozens of survivors attended, many wearing garrison caps with their ships’ names. Exchanging stories and memories of the lost servicemen have evoked complex feelings, they said. Many described a mixture of camaraderie, honor, gratitude and guilt.

The surprise Sunday morning attack on Pearl Harbor and other military bases on Oahu lasted two hours and left 21 U.S. ships heavily damaged, 323 aircraft damaged or destroyed, 2,390 people dead and 1,178 other wounded.

The first wave of planes began bombing at 7:50 a.m. led by Cmdr. Mitsuo Fuchida, who sent the coded “tora, tora, tora,” message to his pilots to inform them the attack had begun and the surprise was a success.

“Coming in at low altitude, we saw American sailors on the decks of the cruisers, looking up in shock and wondering what was going on,” said torpedo plane pilot Taisuke Maruyama, exchanging war stories with American survivors on the eve of today’s ceremonies.

Seven of the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s nine battleships were moored along Ford Island, in perfect position for Japanese planes to sweep down and attack.

A 1,760-pound bomb ripped through the deck of the USS Arizona, sinking the ship with 1,177 crew aboard in less than nine minutes. To this day, oil seeps from the ship’s sunken hull.

This morning, some survivors, military brass and other dignitaries planned to gather on the small USS Arizona Memorial for prayers, wreath presentations and a 21-gun salute.

A larger ceremony was scheduled at the nearby National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific overlooking Honolulu, and the Hawaii Air National Guard planned to fly F-15 jets over the area in the “missing man” formation.

Hundreds of family members of New York City police officers, firefighters and rescue workers lost in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have also been visiting the memorial this week as guests of the state and local businesses.

Laura Sheppard lost her 60-year-old father, New York firefighter Dennis Cross, in the attacks that thrust America into a war against terrorism.

“It truly is sacred ground,” she said, “just like the World Trade Center is now.”