December 7—Pearl Harbor Day
It Changed the World
by Larry Stein
Sitting silently on the east side of Broadway just south of NE 13th Street, there is a hunk of metal which provides a timeless reminder of how important December 7th is for so many around the world. On that date in 1941 the events which led this metal anchor eventually to Oklahoma City make December 7th much more than just one more day to shop before the holidays and Christmas.
‘The Day of Infamy’ caused The Second World War and thrust The United States into a long-avoided conflict which remade the world powers into Superpowers. Until then, no one numbered World Wars and with the US isolated by oceans on each side, another international war breaking out was unheard of.
The unprovoked attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy sunk the USS Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor and claimed 429 lives. Others survived by jumping burning oil. Some were trapped in the capsized vessel and waited days for holes to be drilled in the hull so they could escape.
The USS Oklahoma never made it back into service. The ship was set for salvage in 1943, too damaged to return to duty. Sold for scrap, the ship sunk traveling back to San Francisco and avoided being broken up into pieces and being recycled.
The anchor remains along with the ship’s punch bowl and other treasures kept as reminders of the Nevada-Class Battleship commissioned for 30 years of service.
WW II caused millions of deaths, turmoil and tragedy. It also created the ‘Greatest Generation’ that saved the world from tyranny and the largest mixing of the gene pool since the Roman Empire. Young men from ‘nowhere’ signed up to fight for America and the Allies, and they traveled farther than many ever imagined. From Europe to Asia, to South America. They met natives and other soldiers and exchanged cultures and traditions. They tasted the foods and spices from every continent, people who were dramatically different to anyone they had ever met or seen in their entire life.
Some of the GI’s fell in love and married spouses from around the world and brought them back to their homes. These were the first Trophy Wives and Husbands usually celebrated by both families. Returning GI’s brought exotic women they had married back home and sometimes the shock of family was too much, causing isolation. Other families embraced these additions and celebrated new traditions, creating a mosaic of lives intermingled because of the relationship that was created.
These marriages and events ONLY happened because of the war. In fact, the chance of an American GI meeting a different someone half a world away, falling in love and getting married would have been one-in-a-million. While the odds were astronomical-it happened. Those mixing of families created a world of difference, providing everyone with a ‘melting-pot’ experience they either embraced with gusto, or shunned for their own reasons.
Before the war, the only foreigners in Oklahoma were mostly from Europe and those tolerated from other nearby states. Our state has benefitted greatly from this international mingling of genetics. Since 1941 Tinker Air Force Base has been home to GI’s and their families. The exotic wives of military personnel shared all sorts of accents, foods and traditions. At Tinker’s Commissary the aisles were filled with families who were different. The mostly women shoppers spoke with accents from languages from around the world, and still do. Those exotic accents, features, skin tones and amazing flavorful foods changed Oklahoma for the better. Until then, being exposed to these visitors would have only happened on movie trailers from exotic shores.
Who has the courage to risk certain death and strap themselves to anything that floats to escape tyranny with the goal of being rescued by the United States?
This year in Oklahoma we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The Boat People who escaped Viet Nam and made it to America. The refugees settled in Oklahoma and have become a vibrant part of the Asian Community and an important part of the economic development of our state. There is the story of Vietnamese on a packed boat being rescued by a US Navy ship in the South China Sea. The ship was slowly sinking, but their best option was to risk death rather than persecution if they remained in their home country.
The United States awaited as their eventual destination as the refugees were brought aboard. After the rescue they were fed, the children were watching movies as the sailors reflected on the miracle they performed. America—the dream land of freedom. The ONLY PLACE in the world where someone can arrive from anywhere in the world and become an AMERICAN CITIZEN. One sailor wrote to his family of the experience, explaining, he was there to rescue the boat people from certain death. The sailor explained the refugees knew their lives were saved and they knew they would survive and thrive given the opportunity. He wrote to his mother, the man on the sinking boat looked up at me, extended his arm to bring him aboard and said, “Hello Freedom Man”.
This year and every year, we should celebrate every day the amazing things our country represents, our culture and all the cultures that are part of the amazing melting pot of traditions all our citizens celebrate and share.
EXCELLENT HISTORY FOR EVERYONE.