I Was Sixteen in Oahu when the Japanese Bombed Pearl Harbor

Life on the island of Oahu, Hawaii was like any other day on December 7th, 1941. The day it was sunny, with clear skies, and the temperature was at a perfect 75°. Having lived on Oahu Island my entire life, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I lived in a small, yet cozy shack, with a window that faced Pearl Harbor. I enjoyed every bit of life there, just like every other civilian would have.

I was the only child, and my father had passed away when I was just an infant. My mother had been diagnosed with leukemia and wasn’t able to work; nor even get out of bed. I already had a job, but I had to pick up a part-time job on Sunday’s to accommodate for my mother’s loss of income. During the week, I would work as a chef at a street side vendor in an ally way, cooking saiman, a traditional Hawaiian noodle soup. Every Sunday I would take off on my single geared bicycle early in the morning around 6:30. My job was to throw an Oahu Weekly paper at people’s doorstep, and move on and do the same for another home. I repeated this process for approximately 250 homes. I would be exhausted by the end of my shift, but I was in desperate need of that extra money.

I was 16 years old at the time. I began working at the age of 14. Most teens would only go to school till the 8th grade, unless you were wealthy. This wasn’t uncommon for teens my age. As far as money goes, the island did well, however there were some poor families. My mother and I weren’t poor but we didn’t have much money. The less fortunate poor teens my age would join the navy, and almost all of them would be stationed at Pearl Harbor. My friend Aikane (Hawaiian meaning for friend) was in the same situation as me. He and I could easily

relate. His mother also had leukemia but hi...

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...es had entered a second world war. During FDR’s speech he said, “With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounded determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God. I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December seventh, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire." We were at war.

There were patients in the hospitals for months. Bodies and body parts covered the harbor. The demolished harbor remained that way for a while until rebuilding could begin. It was very tragic, but Americas would have to use this day as a turning point and learning experience. We would have to use this experience as a way to improve and prevent this from happening again. I and everyone else would just have to continue with our lives, despite all the dead