Survivors Note Pearl Harbor Anniversary

Every month, retired Marine bugler Richard Fiske brings two roses to the USS Arizona Memorial in the middle of Pearl Harbor.

One is for himself. The other is for Zenji Abe, the Japanese pilot who bombed his ship during the Dec. 7, 1941, attack that brought the United States into World War II.

Fiske was among several dozen Pearl Harbor survivors and military dignitaries who presented wreaths at the memorial on Wednesday’s 53rd anniversary of the bombing that killed about 2,400 people.

The attack “marked the end of an age of innocence,” said Adm. Ronald J. Zlatoper, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

The ceremony began at 7:55 a.m.--the moment the Japanese attack began--with a horn blast from the guided-missile Aegis destroyer John S. McCain, named for the World War II hero. A moment of silence followed and three Hawaii Air National Guard jets flew overhead in missing-man formation.

President Clinton marked the anniversary in Washington, saying it serves as a constant reminder of the need to maintain a strong military.

In an address via telephone to the Pearl Harbor Survivors Assn., which met in Tampa, Fla., he said, “You . . . are a terrific inspiration to all Americans, and a constant reminder that we must remain ever vigilant.”

“We must never again be unprepared,” said Clinton, who has proposed a $25-billion increase in defense spending over six years.

The attack, which led to U.S. entry into World War II, left more than 2,400 Americans dead or missing and 1,000 wounded.

National Park Service historian Daniel Martinez said a new analysis of pictures taken during the attack on Pearl Harbor indicates a Japanese submarine may have slipped into the harbor and fired at U.S. battleships.

The sub may still be there, he said.

“This information could alter history and change our interpretation of the attack,” Martinez said in Honolulu.

Historians have known for some time that the Japanese Navy used five midget submarines in the attack. But until now it was believed that none of the five succeeded in attacking any U.S. ships, Martinez said.

Photos taken by the crew of a Japanese torpedo bomber during the attack were analyzed at Martinez’s request by Autometric Inc., an Alexandria, Va., firm that specializes in high-tech photo imagery.

The next step is to allow independent historians to evaluate the evidence, he said.

At anniversary ceremonies Wednesday at the Arizona Memorial, Fiske brought his bugle and played “Taps” for his fallen comrades.

In 1941, Fiske was a 19-year-old Marine when he saw Abe from the bridge of the battleship West Virginia where he watched the attack.

The two met again 50 years later when Abe and other Japanese pilots traveled to Hawaii for the bombing anniversary.

Abe gave Fiske $300 and asked him to bring two roses to the memorial each month.