pearl harbor day

pearl harbor day

Dec. 7 marks the 68th anniversary of a world-changing event: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. In the years since the attack, the number of veterans who survived that day has dwindled. Among them is a handful in Georgia. Here’s the story of one of them, former Marine Pfc. Mack Abbot.

Sunday at last! Today, Mack Abbott would begin learning to fly. The young Marine admired those men and machines, cleaving the clouds. He had an appointment at a civilian field. The base was quiet. People were on weekend leave or enjoying the stillness of an island morning. Pfc. Abbott went to the mess hall, then returned to his barracks. It overlooked the harbor, where much of the armored might of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet was moored.

Two buddies, still in their boxer shorts, were talking. He plopped down on a bunk and joined their conversation. What they discussed, he cannot remember. But he does recall what happened just at 8 o’clock that morning, nearly seven decades ago. An explosion rocked the air. The three ran to the window, looked out. They saw a flash of metal emblazoned with a red circle, the symbol of the Empire of the Rising Sun. A warplane flew past, so close they could see the men inside.