Pearl Harbor

An Island on Fire

As the sounds of the Japanese planes faded, more loud explosions filled the air. Pearl Harbor was on fire! Ships laid submerged in the water. Oil seeping from the engines pooled on the water and caught fire. Huge clouds of smoke filled the sky.

Thousands of sailors trapped in the wreckage had to choose between sinking with their ship and jumping into the flame-filled waters. Those who jumped were immediately burned by the oil. The sailors struggled to breathe and stay afloat. Those who stayed on the ships pounded against the metal walls of their ship, hoping for rescue. No one knew if the attack was over, or if there were more planes on their way.

Military personnel jumped into small boats to try to pull survivors to safety. Civilians tried to help, too. A team led by Julio DeCastro, a Honolulu native, worked for twenty-five hours to cut through a compartment on the USS Oklahoma to rescue men who were trapped. All thirty-two sailors in that room made it out alive. But many of the other sailors trapped on the ship did not survive.

Some of the injured were transported to the hospital on base, while others were sent to the USS Solace, a fully equipped medical ship that miraculously did not suffer any damage. Ambulances wailed as they rushed people to the hospital. Doctors, nurses, and medics worked furiously, treating broken bones, bullet wounds, cuts, and burns. There were so many patients that they didn’t all fit in the base hospital. Some patients laid out on the lawns outside the hospital. Dining halls and barracks were converted into temporary hospital space.

Five-year-old Jean Lawson was living with her parents and grandmother at Schofield Barracks. Her father was stationed at Pearl Harbor. When the attack happened, she could hear the loud clacking of the empty casings hitting their roof like hail. While her father went to his office, Jean, her mother, and grandmother were herded into a room with other children and mothers. Later that night, Jean, her mother, and grandmother were evacuated to a schoolhouse in the hills for safety. They eventually left Hawaii.

Within hours of the attack, Governor J.B. Poindexter declared a state of emergency. Civilians were ordered to stay in their homes and off roads. Soldiers patrolled the city, keeping the streets clear for rescue vehicles. Phone lines were kept clear for military or emergency calls. Distressed families couldn’t call loved ones to inquire about their safety.

Desperate for information, Hawaiians stayed glued to their radios. There were no televisions or news stations, and no internet. Radio was their only source of immediate news. But at 11:41am, the radio stations suddenly went off the air. Many kept their radios on, listening to the static and waiting for news. Others turned on the police band. Rumors spread quickly. Some said the water supply was poisoned, or that Honolulu was on fire, or that Japanese soldiers were hiding in the hills and fields around Pearl Harbor. None of the claims were true, but without connection to real news, people assumed the worst. They waited in their homes, wondering what was going to happen next.

Nanea’s Story

Nanea hears fire truck sirens in the distance, roaring louder and louder. Still shivering, she scoots closer to Mom. She can’t stop thinking about what she saw in the backyard, the thick black plumes of smoke rising into the sky.

Mary Lou, Nanea’s sister, says the radio announcer told them to fill their bathtubs with water. Buckets, too, just in case the Japanese cut off their water. Nanea is frozen, afraid to miss another word from the radio announcer. His voice is smooth, as if he’s talking about the price of pineapple. But yet, his words are telling everyone to stay indoors in the event of an air raid.

Suddenly, there’s rapping at the front door. It’s Auntie Rose. She asks if everyone is okay. Mom gets up and pulls her inside, while answering, “Yes.” Auntie Rose says there’s a few bullet holes in her kitchen walls, but she’s all right. Nanea shivers harder. Mom leaves to gather up some blankets to cover the windows. Then, the radio announcer says that there’ll be a blackout that night.

Suddenly, a crackling static fills the room. Mary Lou confirms the radio went off the air. She flips the radio back and forth to try to get to a different channel, but they’re all gone. Nanea is so afraid she starts to cry.