Pearl Harbor after 63 years

Dave Brooks

Army Air Force private Andrew Weniger was expecting the squadron of

planes to fly over his convoy at Hickam Air Field -- he just didn’t

think they were going to fire on him.

Weniger was getting ready to help return the crews of an incoming

flight of B-17s to the barracks. But when he noticed the markings on

the aircraft, he knew that something was definitely wrong.

The Japanese flag was painted on the planes -- or as Weniger

referred to it, the “Red Meatball” -- and almost immediately after

spotting the craft, his fellow servicemen came under fire.

“All Hades broke lose,” he said, describing how about 50 planes

first bombed, then strafed and eventually crashed into his position.

“My first emotion was anger, anger that the Japanese had done

this,” he said. “Once I realized the seriousness of the attack, my

anger was replaced by fear.”

About three people died from Weniger’s company that day, among the

more than 2,177 Navy and Marines who were hurt or killed in the Pearl

Harbor attacks that destroyed 18 ships, 161 airplanes and would

eventually draw the United States into war with Japan, Germany and

Italy.

On Sept. 2, 1945, World War II officially ended, but to this day

many carry on the oral tradition of the war and the “infamous” day

that drew the U.S. into the fight.

Those numbers are diminishing though, faster than ever before. To

keep the memories alive, Huntington Beach veterans and their

counterparts throughout the U.S. are laying the groundwork to pass

their legacy on to the next generation.

On Tuesday, the 63rd anniversary of the attacks, Weniger and other

members of the Orange County Chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors

Assn. attended a special ceremony at Corona del Mar High School to

share their memories with students and school faculty.

“We don’t want them to ever forget what others have sacrificed for

this great country,” he said.

Weniger is among a shrinking number of Pearl Harbor survivors, all

in their 80s and 90s, still alive today. The survivor’s association

estimates that between 5,000 and 4,000 are left, down from 18,000 a

decade ago. This year, about 1,000 Pearl Harbor survivors were

believed to have died.

“There’s a lot of talk about letting the children take over,” said

Surf City survivor Frank Weitzel, whose been working with the Orange

County association to put procedures in place to keep the memory of

Pearl Harbor alive. “People are starting to worry about how people

are really left.”

Known as the Pearl Harbor Sons and Daughters, this division has

become the administrative wing of the survivors association, handling

most of the administrative legwork and bookkeeping for the survivors,

many who are simply too ill or old to continue their former

association duties.

The Orange County chapter has a membership of about 90 members,

including an additional 60 Sweethearts -- widows of Pearl Harbor

survivors.

Both the survivors and the Sweethearts meet about once a month at

the American Legion to share their stories, entertain each other and

keep their memories alive. Besides that, Weniger said, the survivors

association tries not to stay too busy.

“But I do end up going to a lot of funerals,” he said.