Page 4 December 8, 2016 TORRANCE TRIBUNE TerriAnn in Torrance A Day That Will Live in Infamy Story and Photos by TerriAnn Ferren This December 7, 2016 at about 7:55 a.m. marked the 75th commemoration of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, and the declaration of war by the Empire of Japan on the United States and the British Empire. On the following day, December 8, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his “Pearl Harbor Speech” or his “Day of Infamy Speech” as it is known, to the Joint Session of Congress, beginning with the words, “A date which will live in infamy”. “Infamy: 1. Very bad reputation; notoriety; disgrace; dishonor. 2. The quality of being infamous; great wickedness…,” definition by the New World Dictionary. Seven years ago, I visited the WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument in Hawaii. I visited the USS Arizona Memorial. The Visitors Center gives an excellent overview of the site and its history, which includes a 23-minute informative film. The only way to visit the memorial is by taking a boat to the monument. The memorial was built in 1962, designed by Alfred Preis, and although built directly over the sunken ship, doesn’t touch it. The USS Arizona, “…was bombed on December 7, 1941, about 15 minutes into the attack on Pearl Harbor, killing 1,177 sailors and Marines on board…The memorial honors the memory of the crew of the USS Arizona, as well as other service members and civilians who died during the attack. A total of 2,335 sailors, soldiers and Marines died as a result of the attack, as well as 68 civilians,” states the National Park Service website. The USS Arizona marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors and Marines who were killed. After reading about the attack while at the Visitors Center and what was going on prior to the attack that very day--plus watching a most informative film--I stepped onto the boat for the short trip to the monument, which is right next to the USS Missouri battleship (Mighty Mo) where the Japanese surrendered on Tokyo Harbor on September 2, 1945. The ride to the memorial was short, most of the people on the boat didn’t speak out of respect, and the tone was definitely somber. Stepping from the launch onto the floating memorial moved me, and a feeling of sacredness surrounded me--for under this monument, in these waters right below me, were the remains of our sailors, soldiers and Marines, plus the memory of the 68 civilians who died as a result of the attack. The names on the wall of those who were killed are forever memorialized. I spent quite a bit of time reading the names on the wall, wondering about those young men and who they were. Looking down into the water, I remember seeing parts of the ship and oil still seeping up from the damaged hull. The oil floating on the water reflected a rainbow of color as the rays of the sun hit the water. My visit was very sad and moving. What must it have been like for those who were living during that time, here on the mainland, hearing that the United States had been attacked? I asked my parents, Tom and Teddy Lancaster, and learned things I didn’t know before. My mom said, “I was at twelve o’clock mass at St. Patrick’s Church in Los Angeles and the priest got up onto the pulpit and he announced that Pearl Harbor had been bombed and we were at war with Japan. Then I went home and I was a little bit scared ‘cuz I was a little girl. I remember I was about nine or 10 and my aunt Connie and Uncle Jimmy came over to visit my mom and dad. I was sitting on the floor with my head leaning on my dad’s lap ‘cuz I was scared. My uncle was saying we could be bombed and we would never wake up.” She then told me, “That night, paper boys were selling newspapers from their wagons yelling out, ‘Examiner, Times--paper with the headlines that read, ‘It’s War.’ I remember that whole day. I was scared when I went to bed.” Then I asked my daddy and he told me, “My memory isn’t as good as Mom’s, but I recall being in the kitchen in our house and my uncle Millard was outside in the backyard doing something with the car and he came in and I can’t remember who told us or where the news came from, but it didn’t have that much effect on me. I didn’t understand what was going on and didn’t pay much attention to it until several days later. Maybe because of the way it was presented, I wasn’t into listening to the news at that time. I was just a kid trying to keep my bike running.” At that point, my mom added, “The reason I remember is because I was at church and for the priest to get up and announce something like that, it was out of the ordinary and that is why I remember the whole day.” Then Daddy added, “We didn’t sit home that Sunday, when we had been to church that morning, listening to the news. News didn’t travel the way it does today. It was different. Grandpa is the one who heard about it first.” After speaking with my parents, I called my aunt Wilma for her memories of that day. She told me, “At the time, we were just kids and I was 12, 13 years old. It was a terrible thing because we had good [Japanese] people just down our street who had a store and all of a sudden, it was – they have to leave, they have to leave – and it was a sad time because there were so many Americans killed and even though we did not know a thing, you know kids don’t know anything but what they hear. I don’t know when I heard that there was going to be evacuation of Japanese and I think they were evacuated within a couple of months.” Aunt Wilma told me she heard about the bombing from the radio and the newspapers. Her memory of going into Downtown Los Angeles and hearing the paperboys yell the headlines is vivid. “Everybody was talking about it and it went like wildfire,” she said “‘We were bombed, we’re at war!’ and it was a horrible feeling. It was an eerie time. Then the pictures of Pearl Harbor…I don’t remember seeing them for quite a while. We would see them at the movies when they would have current events/newsreels after the first picture. That is how we saw what happened.” Then my aunt told me that within a short period of time, the draft was initiated and rationing of gasoline, shoes, meat, butter and sugar began. “I still have Don’s books and my [ration] books in my ‘hope chest,” she said. Rationing shoes? I was not aware that shoes were rationed, but I suppose that makes sense. She also remembers blackouts and air raid wardens (a person in charge of making sure all lights were out during an air raid). Later, I asked Irene Barlough and her husband Ernie about their remembrance of December 7, 1941. Irene was 18 or 19 years old at the time and told me she woke up that Sunday morning to the terrible news on the radio. Irene told me, “People were out in the streets saying the news that Pearl Harbor had been bombed. I thought sad days were ahead of us and I was scared to death. It was very serious. My parents didn’t say very much, but they remembered WWI and they thought there would be another war. I had two brothers that would have been drafted – which is the first thing they thought about. It was a very scary period. We just waited for what was going to happen. There was no TV in those days, the radio was on all the time.” Ernie then told me, “They were getting ready to institute the draft, which scared everybody ‘cuz anybody 19, 20 years old was sure to be drafted. I went down to report to the draft board and one person asked me, ‘Would you like to be in the Navy?’ and I got in the Navy that way. It was ’43, I think [when I joined].” Irene and Ernie were married in 1946, after the war was over. Listening to those who remember the bombing of Pearl Harbor gave me a view of the horrible event not found in history books. Lives were put on hold, the world held its collective breath, and the reality of the event led to WWII. Let us pause and remember the date “that will live in infamy,” its significance and the lessons learned. Planning a trip to Hawaii? I promise a visit to the Pearl Harbor Memorial will be memorable. Tickets are free and reservations are accepted up to 60 days in advance through the website www.recreation.gov or over the phone by calling 877-444-6777. • USS Arizona Memorial. Tom And Teddy Lancaster. School Board from front page “Mrs. Deutsch, to commemorate your year of service and leadership, we have the traditional gavel here that didn’t break, so thank you very much,” Dr. Mannon said, prior to the board moving forward with the meeting. Middle Schools to Participate in AAU Women’s 2017 Tech Trek Through a unanimous vote by the members of the School Board, TUSD middle schools received permission to apply to participate in the American Association of University Women’s (AAUW) 2017 Tech Trek. Board approval for the weeklong science camp, scheduled for the summer, comes at no cost to the TUSD and will allow the middle school girl students interested in applying to do so. Tech Trek is a science and math camp dedicated to developing interest and excitement, along with self-confidence, in young women who are on track to begin the eighth grade during the upcoming fall. The camp curriculum specifically targets girls entering the eighth grade. Through hands-on activities in math, science and related fields, students get an introduction to science and math in hopes of sparking an interest in the subjects that will trickle outside of the classroom. While the AAUW organizes Tech Trek, credentialed middle school teachers and guest presenters conduct the camp and its classes. Included in the week of activities are study trips and many kinds of hands-on experiments and activities. The camp will be hosted at the University of California, San Diego; University of California, Santa Barbara; University of California, Irvine; and Whittier College. As stated in the Board agenda, “each TUSD middle school may nominate five or six seventh grade girls based on their performance and potential in mathematics and science. An AAUW committee comprised of Educational Partnership Committee members and business partners, who contribute money for the scholarships, will make the final selection from the nominees. An essay from each nominee and an interview will help determine the winners.” AAUW Tech Trek camps have been designed and hosted in an effort to help girls build and pursue their interests in science, math, engineering and technology (STEM). The Torrance Branch of the AAUW has more than 100 members who reside in the South Bay Area. Nationwide, the AAUW is the leading organization promoting equity and education for women and girls. Founded in 1881, the AAUW has studied and taken positions on issues ranging from an educational, social, economic and political nature--all in an effort to be a source of change. The nonpartisan and nonprofit organization includes more than 170,000 members and supporters across the United States. In addition, there are 1,000 local branches and more than 800 college and university partners. One of this year’s goals for 2017 Tech Trek is to provide a $750 scholarship, through corporate donations, for at least one girl from each TUSD middle school. •
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