Pearl Harbor

Lawrence Maes (1920-2009)

Lawrence Maes was my great-grandfather and he has a serves as a very personal connection to this tragic event in US history for myself. Grandpa Larry is what I knew him as, my recollection of him is limited to him being the fastest eater I've ever met, a huge fan of candycorns, and an avid fan of golf. However, the backstory to how he got to be a content retiree is far more tumultuous. Larry was a Jewish orphan who fled to the US amidst World War I. He was dirt poor; he survived for nearly a month in the central California desert with nothing put a jug of water and a jar of a honey. When he finally made it to a city, Larry decided that his best course of action was to lie about his age and enlist in the Navy. At a mere 16 years old Larry found himself wholeheartedly involved in the deadliest global conflict in recorded history, the infamous World War II. Stationed in Oahu, Larry had yet to see action when the Japanese Navy bombarded their outpost on the morning of December 7th, 1941. In a moment of selflessness and heroism Larry aged 17, quickly guided group after group of Hawaiian civilians to caves and bomb shelters along the outskirts of Pearl Harbor. Even though he survived the tragic event, my grandmother and mom have always told me that it is a day he refuses to talk about of hundreds of his fellow seamen did not share his fate on the tragic day. Larry's participation in conflict within the Pacific arena did not end there are he found himself deployed in conflict during the battle of Okinawa of which even more casualties were recorded. Despite this trauma and hardship in his youth my mom has nothing but positive memories of grandpa Larry and thinks upon memories with him fondly as a role model and positive influence on her childhood. Thank you for your service Grandpa Larry.

Background Information of Pearl Harbor

On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The surprise attack by some 350 Japanese aircraft sunk or badly damaged eighteen US naval vessels, including eight battleships, destroyed or damaged 300 US aircraft, and killed 2,403 men. Across the nation, Americans were stunned, shocked, and angered. The attack turned US public opinion in favor of entering the Second World War. The United States declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941.Japan’s allies, Germany and Italy, declared war on the United States on December 11. The United States responded in kind, and therefore entered World War II. The Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor began just before 8 a.m. local time Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. For over an hour, in two waves, some 350 Japanese aircraft, having taken off from six aircraft carriers 230 miles north of Oahu, attacked the naval base. Japanese forces wreaked havoc on US naval vessels and on US aircraft on the island’s airfield. In all, 2,403 Americans, including 68 civilians, died in the attack. In comparison, Japan suffered relatively light casualties, it lost only 29 aircraft and a few mini-submarines.