During the 1930s, the United States was hardly a formidable military power. There was no Department of Defense, and even as late as 1941, the United States had the 16th largest military in the world, after Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Romania. It is not surprising that Japan did not feel threatened by the United States.
Up until 1941, Asia literally was wide open for the taking: All of China was embroiled in civil war, Russia was tied up by Germany, European colonies were left unsupplied and unguarded, and even Australia's best troops were fighting in Africa for the crown. All that stood in the way of Japan's "Asia Co-prosperity Sphere" was the United States. Japan's view of America was that she would cower - American boys did not have the guts to fight.
At any rate, prior to the Pearl Harbor attack, American citizens had long enjoyed a sense of isolated security. Oftentimes when interviewing my friends I hear comments like, "It all felt very far away"; or, "We felt safe - we were over here, they were over there." What follows are the words of those who remember Pearl Harbor.
To this day, Daryl remembers the minutest details of that day, "I was playing with [my siblings] and we were outside, and there was no snow. It was a very mild, mild day. We found out that night because of the radio - everybody sat around glued to that thing. We had been alerted that there was a sneak attack and there were thousands of sailors entombed in ships - that was the first thing we heard about."
Daryl's wife Marie added, "The first I heard was at school the next day, my freshman year of high school. They called all the kids into assembly."
Ken remembers with clarity when he first heard the news: "My father had these concerts he would listen to on Sundays. We had just gotten electricity but we had this battery-powered radio. He'd listen to these symphonies and orchestras every Sunday, and I can remember sitting around the kitchen table that day listening to all the news coming in, and how it was all going to affect us. It didn't affect us immediately, because all of us kids were too young. My brother signed up first, and then later on I signed up."
In 1941, Carol, the young girl from Winslow, was going to business school, and was working for room and board: "I came home for the weekend and my folks drove me back that Sunday evening. As we came through town there were newsboys out shouting 'Extra, Extra!' so I wondered what that was about. As we drove up to the place where I stayed, a lady came running out, asking us if we had heard about Pearl Harbor. We didn't have a radio at that time, so that's how we first found out about [the attack]. I had just graduated from high school, so my friends and cousins started getting drafted. My sister signed up for nurses' school and was shipped to England."
Jim, the boy who grew up in Madison and spent his winters on an iceboat, was just 16 when the news hit: "I remember waking up and hearing it on the radio [the very next day]." Ellen, a young lady who later would marry Jim, recalls having visitors that Sunday: "I was at home at Jennifer Street, my aunt and uncle were over for Sunday dinner when we heard the news. I just thought the whole world had ended, and it just crushed me to think that could happen to our country."
As I sat listening to Ellen and Jim they added, "If that would happen now, you'd have instant news and TV, but back then you had to go to the movies and see it on a newsreel! It was a real shock to hear about it - we'd never experienced anything like [the Pearl Harbor attack]."
I asked Jim and Ellen how the mood of the country changed following the attack. They responded, "Well, we didn't like the Japanese too much after that! All the kids in our class knew when we graduated in 1942 what we were going to do and where we were going to go - we knew we were going into the service."
Alma Grawehr, the Browntown resident who grew up in the midst of the Dust Bowl, remembers exactly where she was when President Roosevelt came on the radio: "We were riding to my aunt's house - she lived in Newton, Kansas. The landmark was the Burton Cemetery, and we were right at that intersection when he announced that the country had gone to war. Right away my dad said, 'I hope I don't have to go' - I can remember that plain as day. We actually had a radio in that old Model A."
Jerry Hastings remembers his dad standing in the kitchen when the news came over the radio: "We heard it and my dad said that it would be a few years before they got around to recruiting us kids."
Although in 1941 the United States was not recognized as a formidable military power, the events following Pearl Harbor would prove Jerry's dad wrong. Indeed, the Japanese discounted the response capabilities of the U.S. - likewise, they would be proven wrong.
Tune in next week.
- Dan Wegmueller of Monroe writes a weekly column for Friday editions of the Times. He can be reached at dwegs@tds.net.
Up until 1941, Asia literally was wide open for the taking: All of China was embroiled in civil war, Russia was tied up by Germany, European colonies were left unsupplied and unguarded, and even Australia's best troops were fighting in Africa for the crown. All that stood in the way of Japan's "Asia Co-prosperity Sphere" was the United States. Japan's view of America was that she would cower - American boys did not have the guts to fight.
At any rate, prior to the Pearl Harbor attack, American citizens had long enjoyed a sense of isolated security. Oftentimes when interviewing my friends I hear comments like, "It all felt very far away"; or, "We felt safe - we were over here, they were over there." What follows are the words of those who remember Pearl Harbor.
To this day, Daryl remembers the minutest details of that day, "I was playing with [my siblings] and we were outside, and there was no snow. It was a very mild, mild day. We found out that night because of the radio - everybody sat around glued to that thing. We had been alerted that there was a sneak attack and there were thousands of sailors entombed in ships - that was the first thing we heard about."
Daryl's wife Marie added, "The first I heard was at school the next day, my freshman year of high school. They called all the kids into assembly."
Ken remembers with clarity when he first heard the news: "My father had these concerts he would listen to on Sundays. We had just gotten electricity but we had this battery-powered radio. He'd listen to these symphonies and orchestras every Sunday, and I can remember sitting around the kitchen table that day listening to all the news coming in, and how it was all going to affect us. It didn't affect us immediately, because all of us kids were too young. My brother signed up first, and then later on I signed up."
In 1941, Carol, the young girl from Winslow, was going to business school, and was working for room and board: "I came home for the weekend and my folks drove me back that Sunday evening. As we came through town there were newsboys out shouting 'Extra, Extra!' so I wondered what that was about. As we drove up to the place where I stayed, a lady came running out, asking us if we had heard about Pearl Harbor. We didn't have a radio at that time, so that's how we first found out about [the attack]. I had just graduated from high school, so my friends and cousins started getting drafted. My sister signed up for nurses' school and was shipped to England."
Jim, the boy who grew up in Madison and spent his winters on an iceboat, was just 16 when the news hit: "I remember waking up and hearing it on the radio [the very next day]." Ellen, a young lady who later would marry Jim, recalls having visitors that Sunday: "I was at home at Jennifer Street, my aunt and uncle were over for Sunday dinner when we heard the news. I just thought the whole world had ended, and it just crushed me to think that could happen to our country."
As I sat listening to Ellen and Jim they added, "If that would happen now, you'd have instant news and TV, but back then you had to go to the movies and see it on a newsreel! It was a real shock to hear about it - we'd never experienced anything like [the Pearl Harbor attack]."
I asked Jim and Ellen how the mood of the country changed following the attack. They responded, "Well, we didn't like the Japanese too much after that! All the kids in our class knew when we graduated in 1942 what we were going to do and where we were going to go - we knew we were going into the service."
Alma Grawehr, the Browntown resident who grew up in the midst of the Dust Bowl, remembers exactly where she was when President Roosevelt came on the radio: "We were riding to my aunt's house - she lived in Newton, Kansas. The landmark was the Burton Cemetery, and we were right at that intersection when he announced that the country had gone to war. Right away my dad said, 'I hope I don't have to go' - I can remember that plain as day. We actually had a radio in that old Model A."
Jerry Hastings remembers his dad standing in the kitchen when the news came over the radio: "We heard it and my dad said that it would be a few years before they got around to recruiting us kids."
Although in 1941 the United States was not recognized as a formidable military power, the events following Pearl Harbor would prove Jerry's dad wrong. Indeed, the Japanese discounted the response capabilities of the U.S. - likewise, they would be proven wrong.
Tune in next week.
- Dan Wegmueller of Monroe writes a weekly column for Friday editions of the Times. He can be reached at dwegs@tds.net.
