Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

10 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

10 hours ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

10 hours ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

11 hours ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

14 hours ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

15 hours ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

15 hours ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

15 hours ago
Local Educator Recalls Power of Pearl Harbor Veteran's Classroom Visit
Opinion
By Opinion
Published 4 years ago on
December 7, 2021

Share

 

“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941, a date that will live in infamy…”

So began the address to the Joint Houses of Congress by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as he discussed the sneak attack by the Imperial Forces of the Empire of Japan on the Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Hawaii. That act brought the United States into war with the Japanese Empire that would last until August of 1945.

It has been eighty years since the events of the early Sunday morning unfolded. There are very few of the heroes of that attack still living as those involved would be in their late 80’s or 90’s. A local resident of Oakhurst, Henry “Hank” Stavast was stationed on the USS Tennessee that fateful day and he was rather reticent to talk about the horrors of that attack.

Bill Atwood

Opinion

Thirty years ago, I was able to convince Hank to share with my students about the battle and this man was so captivating about that day that the students made not a sound during his presentation. He shared about his hearing bullets fly near him, about the explosions of the bombs and the torpedoes and the massive shaking that took place when the USS Arizona exploded. He shared about seeing his buddies killed and that he had to continue his assigned task to fight against the aircraft overhead.

I referred to him as a hero and he snapped back that he wasn’t a hero but that the guys who died that day were the real heroes. We presented Hank with a flag that had been flown over the Arizona on July 4th of that year in his honor.

Pearl Harbor and 9/11

I grew up in a home of a veteran of that war and my mother was a devotee of FDR. I heard a great deal about The Day of Infamy and my first real recollection of that holiday was that there was a 20th anniversary celebration at the Arizona Memorial broadcast from Hawaii which was quite a feat in 1961. Mother had many tears and dad was very somber. As a 9-year-old you don’t understand those emotions. In fact, I never understood my folk’s emotions about that day until September 11, 2001. That day brings about the emotions for me that December 7th brought about for mom and dad.

A few years ago, I travelled to Oahu, Hawaii and made sure to visit the Arizona Memorial. I was fortunate that day because the last living Battleship Bugler made it his practice once a month to go out on the last Sunday of the month and he would play two versions of Taps. The first he played was for the Japanese who had died in that battle and then he played the version we know for the American’s Veterans lost that day. There wasn’t a dry eye on the Memorial at the conclusion of his performance. He died within a year of that day.

Service Will Never be Forgotten

When you are on the Arizona Memorial you can see the remnants of her hull and the oil from her tanks still seeps to the surface on the water. The white marble walls hold the names of those entombed below your feet some having never even gotten out of bed that morning. They are dead but their memory and their service will never be forgotten by freedom loving people everywhere.

This week we will have an opportunity to offer a prayer of remembrance to those who served at Pearl Harbor that day and a special prayer for the 2,403 men who gave the “Last Full Measure of Devotion”.

May they all Rest in Peace.

About the Author

Bill Atwood is retired educator with a doctorate in public administration from the University of Southern California. He resides in Madera County and serves as a trustee with the Bass Lake School District.

[activecampaign form=19]

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

DON'T MISS

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

DON'T MISS

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

DON'T MISS

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

DON'T MISS

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

DON'T MISS

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

DON'T MISS

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

DON'T MISS

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

UP NEXT

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

UP NEXT

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

UP NEXT

From Victims to Perpetrators: Israeli Soldiers’ Nazi Comparisons and the Unfolding War Crimes in Gaza

UP NEXT

Dear Mayor and City Council, Fresno’s Housing Bottlenecks Are a Modern Form of Redlining

UP NEXT

A Path Forward on Immigration Reform That Strengthens America

UP NEXT

Israel Faces Genocide Accusations Amid Gaza Food Aid Killings

UP NEXT

I Detest Netanyahu, but on Some Things He’s Actually Right

UP NEXT

Much of LA’s Community of Immigrants Is Hiding, Leaving a Hole in the Fabric of the City

UP NEXT

Things Netanyahu Might Say if Injected With Truth Serum

UP NEXT

California Politicians Ignore Ag’s Troubles, but Boost Movie Business

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

8 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

8 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

8 hours ago

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

8 hours ago

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

9 hours ago

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

9 hours ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

10 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

10 hours ago

Fresno Police Recover Some of the $40,000 in Fireworks Stolen From Bullard High Team

10 hours ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

10 hours ago

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

A two-vehicle collision sent a woman driving one of the vehicles to the hospital with a head injury Thursday afternoon in Fresno. Fresno pol...

6 hours ago

A crash causes a traffic jam in northwest Fresno on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (GV Wire/Paul Marshall)
6 hours ago

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

The Madre Fire near New Cuyama has burned 52,593 acres with 5% containment, prompting evacuation orders in several San Luis Obispo County zones as of Thursday, July 3, 2025, afternoon. (CalFire)
7 hours ago

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

7 hours ago

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

8 hours ago

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

An ICE agent talks with migrants about their scheduled appointments with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Father’s Day, to learn about their immigration status, in Chicago, Illinois., U.S., June 15, 2025. (Reuters File)
8 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

Boeing logo and miniature satellite model are seen in this illustration taken, March 10, 2025. (Reuters File)
8 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

8 hours ago

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

Clovis Police are searching for Pathmani Goonawardena, 82, who went missing nearly three weeks ago and was last seen driving a white Volvo near Copper and Auberry, possibly en route to Coarsegold. (CHP)
9 hours ago

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend