Chief Wagner's Attack On Pearl Harbor

Wake up, get dressed, and prepare your ship. That was a normal day for a soldier who was stationed at Pearl Harbor during World War II. But on the warm morning of December 7th, 1941, everything those soldiers knew would drastically be thrown aboard. For 25 year old Johnnie and Dale Gano, this was a normal day. They recall laying in bed at 8:00 that morning and debating whether or not to go to church in Honolulu that morning. (Gano, Johnnie and Dale) They remember hearing what sounded like their own military planes crashing, when in reality what they heard was the Japanese air force attacking the United States’ naval Pacific fleet stationed at Ford’s Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This surprise airstrike attack for most of the soldiers stationed
here meant one thing: war and the end of America’s neutrality in World War II. As for Chief Yeoman Albert Thomas Dewitt Wagner, this attack brought much more grief than just the terror of war.
Chief Wagner had been awaiting a chaplain’s arrival on board the USS Utah so he could properly bury his baby daughter’s ashes at sea.
Her ashes were inside of Wagner’s locker on board the ship during the time of the attack. Wagner was one of the lucky soldiers who survived the attacks that day, but the ashes of his daughter were never recovered. (Jacksonville)
Japanese government had declared war on China in 1937 in the efforts to expand their territory and take control of China’s market. (A&E History) American government officials responded to this by cutting off their trading ties with Japan, figuring that without money, goods, and essential supplies like oil, Japan would back down in their aggressive effort to expand. This action would lead to what would be known as “the day which will live in infamy”, the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor.
At 8:00 on the morning of December 7th, 1941, after many months of practice, Japanese air force took over the skies above Pearl Harbor. At 8:10 the Japanese dropped a 1,800 lb. bomb through the deck of the American battleship USS Arizona. The ship exploded and sank upside down, trapping more than 1,000 men inside. Torpedoes were then launched at the USS Utah, causing the ship to roll to its side and sink underwater. Out of all the ships that were attacked, including USS Oklahoma, USS Arizona, USS Utah, USS California, USS Tennessee, USS West Virginia, USS Maryland, USS Nevada, and USS Pennsylvania, the USS Arizona and USS Utah were the
only ships that weren’t able to be salvaged and repaired.
On December 8th, 1941, a day after the attack, President Roosevelt made a statement to the public saying, “Yesterday the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked”, and promised, “No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.” And later that day, Congress approved Roosevelt’s declaration of war, and more than two years after the start of it, the United States had entered World War II.
The tension between Americans and Japanese grew very intense, but so did patriotism. Many men and women volunteered to join the army during the country’s time of need. The tensions between Americans and Japanese resulted in the relocation of 110,000 Japanese-Americans to one of the ten internment camps in Idaho, Colorado, California, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, and Arkansas, in fear of another Japanese attack. The internment camps were worse than prison conditions. (Doyles) This relocation was made legal by the passing of the the Executive Order
9066.
It wasn’t until years after the war and the relocation that this misjustice met amends. In 1988, the United States gave a formal apology to the injustices committed against the Japanese-Americans during World War II, with the passing of the Civil Liberties Act. The At established a trust fund to provide reparations to all the Japanese-Americans who were interned, and created a public education fund to ensure that the internment of the Japanese-Americans would never be forgotten or repeated. (ADL)
In 1990, the United States government issued reparations to some 60,000 surviving Japanese-Americans who were interned during World War II. Each family got $20,000 and an apology from the U.S. Government.
December 7th, 1941 is truly a day that will live on in infamy for many reasons. Whether it’s regarding the 1,000 soldiers who lost their life that day, the thousands of soldiers who lost their lives during the course of World War II, the Japanese-Americans who died in the internment camps, or even the lost ashes of the baby girl who will never get her proper burial. The Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor have had a significant impact on the United States government, and we continue to see more impact each year. We must remember what happened on that dreadful day and honor those who gave their life for it, as to see that something as tragic as this never happens again.