Hawaii 07:53 hrs local
Thu Dec 07, 2006 8:02 am
Thu Dec 07, 2006 8:14 am
Never Forget.
There was a good story in todays paper about a local man.
Excerpts...
FORT WORTH -- Sixty-five years ago today, the history books record a great American loss....wars are fought by men, and from that level on Dec. 7, 1941, Ralph C. Riddle scored his own, admittedly small, victory.
Riddle had volunteered to be there, both in the Army Air Forces and on top of a two-story building at Wheeler Field, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.
An Oklahoma-born boy who had grown up in southern New Mexico as a sharecropper's son, Riddle joined the Army in 1938 to escape a hard life. He was 18 at the time
A bomb that dropped on a hangar next to Riddle's barracks served as his wake-up call on the morning of Dec. 7. Everyone spilled out of the barracks, holding helmets and gas masks. People started running for cover, crawling under buildings.
Over the din, Riddle could hear his sergeant.
"I was more scared of the provost sergeant than I was of the Japanese," he said.
The sergeant wanted to know who could operate the .50-caliber gun on top of the building. Riddle said he could.
The only volunteer to go up on top of the building with Riddle, in plain sight of the Japanese bombers and fighters, was a soldier who had been released from the brig during the attack. His job was to crank the water cooler to keep the gun cool and to feed the ammunition.
"All you could hear was this drone of planes. You couldn't see nothing because of the smoke," he said. "I wouldn't have known a Japanese plane if I'd seen it. I was 21 years old. Fresh off the farm."
Machine-gun fire from the planes raked the building. Bombs rattled the roof.
And when the smoke cleared enough, Riddle watched a plane drop a bomb from only a few hundred feet.
"I opened up on him, probably put 15 rounds in him," he said. "He went into a pineapple field and burned up. He didn't get no further."
After about 30 minutes, the planes all seemed to move on to Pearl Harbor, where Riddle could watch the attack on the Navy shipyard through his field glasses.
He was interrupted by his lieutenant.
"Did you shoot that plane down?" he asked Riddle.
"Yes, sir."
"You shot down one of our planes!" the lieutenant yelled.
"Sir, I don't know whose it was, but it dropped a bomb, so I shot it down," Riddle answered.
The lieutenant later investigated the wreckage, apologized to Riddle and promoted him from private first class to sergeant within a few weeks.
Riddle, now 86, earned the Silver Star, the third-highest medal for valor, for his actions the morning of Dec. 7.
He stayed in the Air Force after the war, retiring in 1969 as a master sergeant. He settled in Fort Worth because he liked Carswell Air Force Base the best.
And though he occasionally forgets the simple things of an hour or a week ago, his day of combat he has not.
"I never drew a weapon on the enemy after that day," he said.
There was a good story in todays paper about a local man.
Excerpts...
FORT WORTH -- Sixty-five years ago today, the history books record a great American loss....wars are fought by men, and from that level on Dec. 7, 1941, Ralph C. Riddle scored his own, admittedly small, victory.
Riddle had volunteered to be there, both in the Army Air Forces and on top of a two-story building at Wheeler Field, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.
An Oklahoma-born boy who had grown up in southern New Mexico as a sharecropper's son, Riddle joined the Army in 1938 to escape a hard life. He was 18 at the time
A bomb that dropped on a hangar next to Riddle's barracks served as his wake-up call on the morning of Dec. 7. Everyone spilled out of the barracks, holding helmets and gas masks. People started running for cover, crawling under buildings.
Over the din, Riddle could hear his sergeant.
"I was more scared of the provost sergeant than I was of the Japanese," he said.
The sergeant wanted to know who could operate the .50-caliber gun on top of the building. Riddle said he could.
The only volunteer to go up on top of the building with Riddle, in plain sight of the Japanese bombers and fighters, was a soldier who had been released from the brig during the attack. His job was to crank the water cooler to keep the gun cool and to feed the ammunition.
"All you could hear was this drone of planes. You couldn't see nothing because of the smoke," he said. "I wouldn't have known a Japanese plane if I'd seen it. I was 21 years old. Fresh off the farm."
Machine-gun fire from the planes raked the building. Bombs rattled the roof.
And when the smoke cleared enough, Riddle watched a plane drop a bomb from only a few hundred feet.
"I opened up on him, probably put 15 rounds in him," he said. "He went into a pineapple field and burned up. He didn't get no further."
After about 30 minutes, the planes all seemed to move on to Pearl Harbor, where Riddle could watch the attack on the Navy shipyard through his field glasses.
He was interrupted by his lieutenant.
"Did you shoot that plane down?" he asked Riddle.
"Yes, sir."
"You shot down one of our planes!" the lieutenant yelled.
"Sir, I don't know whose it was, but it dropped a bomb, so I shot it down," Riddle answered.
The lieutenant later investigated the wreckage, apologized to Riddle and promoted him from private first class to sergeant within a few weeks.
Riddle, now 86, earned the Silver Star, the third-highest medal for valor, for his actions the morning of Dec. 7.
He stayed in the Air Force after the war, retiring in 1969 as a master sergeant. He settled in Fort Worth because he liked Carswell Air Force Base the best.
And though he occasionally forgets the simple things of an hour or a week ago, his day of combat he has not.
"I never drew a weapon on the enemy after that day," he said.
Thu Dec 07, 2006 9:13 am
NEVER FORGET !
Thu Dec 07, 2006 9:36 am
Here are a couple from my trip back in 2004.
A picture of the wall, showing all of the names. On the full sized image you can clearly read each name. It took me a while to get this shot with no people in it.
Here is a shot my father took as we were leaving.
A picture of the wall, showing all of the names. On the full sized image you can clearly read each name. It took me a while to get this shot with no people in it.
Here is a shot my father took as we were leaving.
Thu Dec 07, 2006 10:02 am
Lest we forget.
Thu Dec 07, 2006 10:42 am
My hat is off to all of the veterans. Thank you.
Thu Dec 07, 2006 11:52 am
First off, thats Peter for starting this thread.
I have been considering this for a long time and want your opinions. Would you find a memorial registry interesting or useful. Basically a registry of war/service memorials around the globe, divided by country & state/province . They would mainly ba a handful of pictures of the memorial and a picture of the dedication plaque and/or name wall (if it has one). This would include planes, vehicles, statures, guns, etc... that comprise the various memorials around the country.
If there is interest I will put together the preliminary files and I would also be looking for editorial help as well as image submissions.
Comments are welcome.
I have been considering this for a long time and want your opinions. Would you find a memorial registry interesting or useful. Basically a registry of war/service memorials around the globe, divided by country & state/province . They would mainly ba a handful of pictures of the memorial and a picture of the dedication plaque and/or name wall (if it has one). This would include planes, vehicles, statures, guns, etc... that comprise the various memorials around the country.
If there is interest I will put together the preliminary files and I would also be looking for editorial help as well as image submissions.
Comments are welcome.
Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:02 pm
Scott WRG Editor wrote:First off, thats Peter for starting this thread.
I have been considering this for a long time and want your opinions. Would you find a memorial registry interesting or useful. Basically a registry of war/service memorials around the globe, divided by country & state/province . They would mainly ba a handful of pictures of the memorial and a picture of the dedication plaque and/or name wall (if it has one). This would include planes, vehicles, statures, guns, etc... that comprise the various memorials around the country.
If there is interest I will put together the preliminary files and I would also be looking for editorial help as well as image submissions.
Comments are welcome.
I actually like that idea. It would make memorials more accessible.
Shay
____________
Semper Fortis
Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:05 pm
Scott, I find that idea of yours to be very noble & fitting. I think there would be a good bit interest in such a project. Thumbs up from me. 
Robbie
Robbie
Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:20 pm
Scott.
Great idea and I'll help in anyway I can.
Lest We Forget
Great idea and I'll help in anyway I can.
Lest We Forget
Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:39 pm
I can say with all honesty that a December 7th anniversary hasn't gone by that I haven't sat for some time and reflected on the events that unfolded on that day in 1941. The lives lost, the lives changed and how the path that the world was on would be forever altered.
Here is a good collection of Pearl Harbor photos in the link below. Looking at the photos may give you only you the slightest idea of what happened that day, but we all should never forget what others gave so that we may live our lives according to our own destiny:
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Stories1/001-100/029_Pearl-Harbor/story029.htm
Shay
____________
Semper Fortis
Here is a good collection of Pearl Harbor photos in the link below. Looking at the photos may give you only you the slightest idea of what happened that day, but we all should never forget what others gave so that we may live our lives according to our own destiny:
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Stories1/001-100/029_Pearl-Harbor/story029.htm
Shay
____________
Semper Fortis
Last edited by Shay on Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:50 pm
Sounds like a good idea Scott.
Thu Dec 07, 2006 1:10 pm
Took my parents to Hawaii in '69. My mother and I went out to the memorial.
My father (who was at Pearl on 12/7/41) wouldn't go. Didn't say why, but we knew. He probably would have lost it.
Bless all those of "The Greatest Generation".
Mudge the respectful
My father (who was at Pearl on 12/7/41) wouldn't go. Didn't say why, but we knew. He probably would have lost it.
Bless all those of "The Greatest Generation".
Mudge the respectful
Thu Dec 07, 2006 1:47 pm
Great idea, Scott!
I'm always stopping at memorials I've heard or read about. T
his kind of site will help a lot of people out in their travels.
Jerry
I'm always stopping at memorials I've heard or read about. T
his kind of site will help a lot of people out in their travels.
Jerry
Thu Dec 07, 2006 2:58 pm
Shay wrote:I can say with all honesty that a December 7th anniversary hasn't gone by that I haven't sat for some time and reflected on the events that unfolded on that day in 1941. The lives lost, the lives changed and how the path that the world was on would be forever altered.
Same here...
I did hear on the radio today that there is a group who wants to end all ceremonies of Pearl Harbor once all the survivors have passed away. Their reasoning--it is too offensive to the Japanese!