70 years after the first bombs fell, the events of December 7th, 1941 remain etched in the collective memory of Americans. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii altered the course of history, marking the entrance of the United States into its second world war. While many lives were changed that day, none were more affected than those service men and women living and working in Pearl Harbor. For them, December 7th is more than just a page in the history books—it was the start of their combat career, a day when they lost friends and comrades, and the instant when war became a reality. In their own words, these Pearl Harbor survivors present what they experienced on “the date which will live in infamy.”
Pearl Harbor: 70th Anniversary
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personal narrativeJim Ralph Beigh Collection Chief Aerial Photographer, Navy, World War, 1939-1945 - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Pensacola, Florida; Maine; San Francisco; Philippines; Pacific Theater.
- Contributor: Fund, Edna J. - Eytinge, Margo - Timberland Regional Library - Beigh, Jim Ralph
- Date: 1939
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personal narrativeRaymond Barron Chavez Collection Chief Quartermaster, Navy, World War, 1939-1945 - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; San Francisco, California; New Zealand; New Hebrides; Tarawa Atoll (Gilbert Islands); Kwajalein Island (Marshall Islands); Ulithi (Caroline Islands); Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands);…
- Contributor: Chavez, Raymond Barron - Cox, Carl Raymond - Va Medical Center, San Diego, California
- Date: 1941
- Resource: Interview / Recording - Video - 00:51:12.3
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personal narrativeRobert Abbott Coates Collection Electronics Technician First Class, Navy, World War, 1939-1945 - Pacific Theater; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
- Contributor: Reeves, Troy - Coates, Robert Abbott - Idaho State Historical Society
- Date: 1941
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personal narrativeKathryn Mary Doody Collection Major, Army Nurse Corps, World War, 1939-1945 - Hawaii; England; France; Germany. Korean War, 1950-1953 - Korea. Army Nurse Corps, Cold War.
- Contributor: Bowen, Sarah - Wrcb-Tv Channel 3 - Willie, Michael Lloyd - Doody, Kathryn Mary
- Date: 1940
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personal narrativeJames Willis Downing Collection Lieutenant, Navy, World War, 1939-1945 - Washington, DC; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Pacific Theater. Navy, Korean War, 1950-1953.
- Contributor: Johnson, Alex - Downing, James Willis
- Date: 1932
- Resource: Interview / Recording - Video - 00:37:39.7
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personal narrativeJames J. Doyle Collection Photographer's Mate First Class, Navy, World War, 1939-1945 - Pacific Theater; Pearl Harbor.
- Contributor: Doyle, James J. - Elliott, Catherine
- Date: 1939
- Resource: Interview / Recording - Video - 00:41:48.0
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personal narrativeDonald Patrick Finn Collection Aviation Chief Machinist's Mate, Navy, World War, 1939-1945 - Pacific Theater; Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
- Contributor: Finn, Donald Patrick - Messina, Maureen A.
- Date: 1939
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personal narrativeJames Mitsuo Furukawa Collection Major, Army, World War, 1939-1945 - Hawaii; Okinawa Island (Ryukyu Islands); Baltimore, Maryland; Korea; Japan.
- Contributor: Japanese-American Veterans Association (Java) - Furukawa, James Mitsuo - Shima, Terry T.
- Date: 1944
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personal narrativeIvan Arnold Harris Collection Boatswain's Mate First Class, Navy, World War, 1939-1945 - San Diego, California; Norfolk, Virginia; Cleveland, Ohio; Seattle, Washington; New York; Pearl Harbor.
- Contributor: Cox, Carl Raymond - Va Medical Center, San Diego, California - Harris, Ivan Arnold
- Date: 1939
- Resource: Interview / Recording - Video - 01:01:39.6
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personal narrativeWilliam Henry Harvey Collection Cook First Class, Navy, World War, 1939-1945 - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Pacific Theater. Navy, Korean War, 1950-1953. Navy, Vietnam War, 1961-1975.
- Contributor: Lugar, Richard - Harvey, William Henry - West, Rosalynn Shropshire - U.S. Senate/Richard Lugar
- Date: 1940
- Resource: Interview / Recording - Audio - 01:01:48.0
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personal narrativeEarl Jay Kohler Collection Petty Officer First Class, Navy, World War, 1939-1945 - Pearl Harbor, Ford Island and Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; Majuro (Marshall Islands).
- Contributor: Kohler, Earl Jay - Rodriguez-Martin, Drisana - McNerney, Jerry - U.S. House of Representatives/Jerry McNerney
- Date: 1941
- Resource: Interview / Recording - Video - 01:01:38.7
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personal narrativeRalph C. Nash Collection Chief Boatswain's Mate, Coast Guard, World War, 1939-1945 - South Pacific.
- Contributor: Nash, Ralph C. - Hilger, Prudence
- Date: 1935
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personal narrativeFrank Thomas Oravecz Collection Sergeant, Army, World War, 1939-1945 - Pacific Theater; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Fort Shafter, Hawaii; Puget Sound, Washington.
- Contributor: Legacies: Stories from the Second World War - Swope, Thomas A. - Oravecz, Frank Thomas
- Date: 1939
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personal narrativeRichard M. Paull Collection Motor Machinist's Mate Second Class, Navy, World War, 1939-1945 - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Pacific; Guam (Mariana Islands); Midway; Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands); Bougainville Island (Solomon Islands); Okinawa Island (Ryukyu Islands); Great Lakes, Illinois;…
- Contributor: Legacies: Stories from the Second World War - Paull, Richard M. - Swope, Thomas A.
- Date: 1940
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personal narrativeNorwood Teague Collection Ensign, Navy, World War, 1939-1945 - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; Newport News, Virginia.
- Contributor: Teague, Norwood - Selig, Diana - Claremont McKenna College - Graeber, Kristina
- Date: 1940