Survivors, Families Gather for Tribute at Pearl Harbor

With America girding for possible war with Iraq, about 150 people, including survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor and their families, gathered Saturday to pay tribute to those who lost their lives 61 years ago.

“We hope and pray that if we are once again called upon to help send our brave men and women into battle, we will find ourselves blessed with the special sort of America that helped us conquer,” Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) said at a commemorative ceremony aboard the USS “Arizona Memorial.

Inouye, who lost an arm fighting in World War II, made no direct reference to Iraq.

The group observed a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., the time the Japanese surprise attack started, and a group of airplanes from the Hawaii Air National Guard flew over in a “missing man” formation. A stiff wind blew, and sailors had to struggle to raise an 18-foot American flag.

“It reminds me of the days when everybody was aboard,” said Ski Kowalski, 82, of San Diego, who was aboard the Pennsylvania during the attack Dec. 7, 1941.

The attack on Pearl Harbor and other military bases on Oahu lasted two hours. Twenty-one ships were heavily damaged, and 323 aircraft were damaged or destroyed. In all, 2,390 people were killed and 1,178 wounded.

One bomb ripped open the Arizona, which sank at its mooring along Battleship Row in nine minutes. It remains a tomb for more than 900 of its 1,177 crewmen.

Saturday’s observance was subdued compared with last year’s, when the 60th anniversary of the attack and its parallels with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon drew thousands to Hawaii. The more reserved observance did not diminish the significance of the day, said Daniel Martinez, a historian for the USS Arizona Memorial.

“It’s the type of attack that was so savage that it’s just etched into the memories of Americans,” he said. “It’s a stain in the American fabric that’s difficult to wash away.”

Warren Verhoff, 81, who was a radioman on the Keosanqua during the attack, said it didn’t matter that fewer survivors attended Saturday’s event.

“It’s more than that,” said Verhoff, a volunteer at the memorial. “It’s not only for World War II veterans. It’s for every ... serviceman that was ever in the service.”