Nellis Airmen remember Pearl Harbor, remain vigilant for future

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Thomas Spangler
  • 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, thousands of U.S. service members were killed by the Imperial Japanese navy's attack on Pearl Harbor.

While it is important to remember those who were lost on that 'day of infamy', as well as those who were killed in the war following the attack, it is also vital to use that day as a lesson to maintain situational awareness and be alert for future attacks.

The attack spurred the United States to enter World War II and thousands of young men across the country to volunteer for military service.

"I was 15 years old during [the attack on] Pearl Harbor," said Ed Lun, a retired Air Force pilot, and veteran of WWII, Korea and Vietnam. "I tried to volunteer, but they said I was too young, so I [eventually] enlisted in the [Marine] Corps at 17."

As the nation remembers those who were lost in the attack and those who served in the European and Pacific theaters, it is important that the military does not let the attack fall to the pages of history and be caught off-guard again.

"[Pearl Harbor] is a symbol of being unprepared, the shock put us on our back heels for a number of months," said Gerald White, 99th Air Base Wing Historian.

At the time, U.S. commanders believed the Japanese would never attack Pearl Harbor simply because it was being used as a training base.

"The U.S. naval base in Hawaii was primarily a training base, and training activities consumed the commanders and their personnel," said Daniel Wheaton, 57th Wing Historian. "They saw no need for Hawaii to be ready for a large-scale attack."

On the morning of the attack, there were two warnings of an impending Japanese attack, but were both ignored.

"That morning, a Japanese submarine was seen and sunk near Pearl Harbor," Wheaton said. "Also, an Army radar station reported seeing planes about 50 miles away. A Navy lieutenant believed they were U.S. planes returning from a reconnaissance flight or B-17s scheduled to arrive from California. Unfortunately, it was the Japanese."

According to the U.S. Navy's history webpage, the attack sunk or damaged twenty-one ships of the U.S. Pacific fleet and claimed 2,403 American lives.

The next day, the U.S. declared war on Japan.

The failures to heed the warning signs of the attack are lessons for today's Airmen. What may seem as the least likely spot for an attack may end up being an adversary's target.

Many people have compared Pearl Harbor to the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and the need for constant vigilance after the attacks.

"Today is an even more unstable world than it was over 70 years ago," Wheaton said. "We were surprised by the attacks of 9/11, similar to the American feelings after Pearl Harbor. Even more so today than in the past, we must constantly be vigil for overlooked indications or unrecognized threats."

As today's Airmen honor those who were lost on that day of infamy, they must remember the lessons from the attack, to maintain a constant state of alertness and readiness for any future attack.

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