History

My mom was a witness to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. She was ten at the time and her step-father (only father really, so we rarely make the distinction) was station there. That morning dawned like any other for my then 10-year old mother. Sadly it would have been another day of abject neglect as my grandmother was among other things a raging drunk and a serially unfaithful to her husband. Instead it was a day of standing on the front lawn watching bombs fall, a day of smelling smoke, and a day of wondering where daddy was and hoping he was alright. My grandfather's ship was on maneuvers that day, out of harms way. This fact NEVER sat well with my grandfather. He deeply regretted not being on base that day.

My mother and grandmother fled Honolulu and retreated to the home of a friend who lived in the mountains. My grandmother and many other believed strongly that the island would be invaded by the Japanese at any moment; and apparently they were laboring under the misconception that the Japanese would not be able to find them if they went up hill. For a time, life came to a standstill, school was cancelled and military family members were given gas masks and other protective equipment(this consisted mostly of sanitary pads which were to used as bandages). My mother missed most of the 5th grade and she got in big trouble for leaving that gas mask in the movie theater.

It has been 69 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor and sadly more and more of people who remember that time are fading away. My grandparents died years ago, and my mother is pretty fuzzy on the details. I only know the story so well because I used to bring my mother to school for show and tell every time was covered this part of American history.