From Pearl Harbor to Japan: How 25th Infantry Division Earned its 'Tropic Lightning' Name in WWII
Sgt. Kenneth Nine was scheduled to ship back to the states that Monday morning. After partying until 5 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, the 27th Infantry platoon sergeant sat exhausted in front of Schofield Barracks. Then Japanese planes flew overhead, strafing everything in sight. Nine’s commanding officer ran up and said, “Get in the saddle […]
This Army Pilot Proved Airplanes Could Sink Battleships and Predicted Pearl Harbor — He Was Fired For It
In 1921, Army Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell proved airplanes could sink battleships. Three years later, he predicted Japan would launch a surprise air attack on Pearl Harbor at dawn. Navy and Army brass dismissed him. They court-martialed him, forced him out, then spent the next two decades building more battleships. On Dec. 7, 1941, Mitchell’s […]
Oldest Known Pearl Harbor Survivor Dies at 106
Vaughn Drake Jr., an esteemed Central Kentuckian believed to be the oldest survivor of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, died last week. Drake died April 7 at the age of 106, according to a news release from the nonprofit Affinity Media and Public Relations announcing his death. His visitation is Thursday at the Milward […]
Pearl Harbor Attack Survivor Herb Elfring Dies at 102
Pearl Harbor attack survivor Herbert Elfring died Saturday in Michigan at age 102. His death was announced by Michigan-based One Stop Veteran Resources, an organization he helped establish, in a Facebook post Sunday that said, “After a brief and sudden illness, Herb went up to Heaven. … His stories of Pearl Harbor were not just […]
Pearl Harbor Sites Free This Weekend for Army Soldiers, Families
In honor of the U.S. Army’s 248th birthday, guests affiliated with the branch will get free admission this weekend for Pearl Harbor Historic Sites. There also will be a special 4 p.m. USS Arizona Memorial boat program on the “free pass days.” While Pearl Harbor National Memorial is free to all visitors, certain historic sites and services at Pearl Harbor are […]