A Journey from Paradise to Tragedy: The Impact of Pearl Harbor

“Dad, this is stupid!” I yell at my father.

My father responds, “Logan, why are you getting so mad! New Jersey isn’t that bad!” “Hawaii is my home, and I’m not leaving!” I told him.

“Would you rather live in an orphan house, away from family?” my dad asked, sternly. “Yes, I would if it meant I could live here without you!” I yell and walk away. I slam and lock my door to my bedroom, tears in my eyes, and jump on my bed.

I plant my face on my pillow, and stare into the darkness, thinking about moving from paradise.

My name is Logan Virgil, and my dad works in the United States Navy. He works on the USS Arizona. It’s just my dad and I, my mother died from a car accident when I was about two years old. My dad works at Pearl Harbor, and he has for my whole life. Now, suddenly we are moving to New Jersey, a crowded and nasty city!

I had to figure out a way to stay onto the island.

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Then, I created a plan. I could live with one of my dad’s friends, Logan Ramsey, or as I call him “Ramsey.” He worked at Fort Island as chief of staff, protecting the harbor (Patterson). My dad was stationed there before, and they had become best friends. I tiptoed downstairs quietly and walked to the closet to grab my suitcase. My dad was filling out paperwork for the movers and listening to the radio.

The man speaking on the radio was talking about the terrible war raging on in Europe. The war was between the Axis Powers, Germany, Italy, and Japan, and the Allies, England, France, and America (White). Although we helped the Allies, we weren’t fully in the war, and most of America wanted to stay out of it, except what I’ve heard, there is a good chance we will join in (Bondi 227). Japan is most likely going to attack us, and there have been rumors that they will attack Hawaii, but the government is positive that if they did attack, they would attack the Philippines or Guam (Bondi 227). I grabbed my suitcase and ran back upstairs.

Around six in the morning, I walk to Ramsey’s house. He isn’t home, of course, he is at work. I drop my suitcase on his front porch and walk to the command center at Ford Island.

I went up to the front desk, and asked, “Can I speak to Commander Logan Ramsey please?”

Suddenly, I hear a voice behind me, “Hey, Sport!” I turn around to see Ramsey leaning on the wall, smiling at me.

“Hey, can we talk?”

We walk to his office, where he has a big window facing the ocean surrounding the harbor (Patterson). I tell him about us moving to New Jersey.

“So then, we got into this huge fight, and we went to sleep angry at each other,” I told him. “Ooh, you never want to go to sleep angry, that just ruins the next day,” he advised.

“ I don’t know Ramsey, Hawaii is my home, I can never leave it.” I said, voice breaking “Look, kid, I know New Jersey might not seem like home, but you have to know, wherever your family is, in this case, your dad, that's where your home is.”

I looked at the clock, it was 7:50 am. My dad was already at work, aboard the USS Arizona. I didn’t feel any resentment towards my dad anymore, I just wanted to see him and apologize.

Feeling sort of awkward since I should be at school today instead of here, I asked Ramsey how his day has been going.

He answered, “Well, pretty much like any other day, except at 7:30, I received a message from 14-Prep-1 that they sunk a submerged submarine (Patterson). I think it was a drill message that got out by accident, but just in case, I drew up a search plan for our aircraft under the conditions prevailing that day (Patterson). I am still waiting for authentication,” he explained to me. A staff duty officer came up to Ramsey and started talking with him about something when I saw a plane flying very low. I tapped Ramsey’s shoulder and pointed at the plane. He told me, “It must be a reckless pilot or maybe a drill (Patterson).” We all then saw a small, round, black thing fall from the plane, and the plane pulls back, and then an explosion (Patterson). It was a bomb!

Ramsey yelled surprisingly, “Never mind; it’s a Jap!”, and ran across the hall into the radio room, and put a broadcast on all frequencies saying “Air Raid, Pearl Harbor. This is no drill (Patterson).”

I race out of the command center with only one goal. To find my dad. I duck down as I hear explosions coming from Hickam Field as the Japanese planes destroy our planes (White). As I’m running, I see a plane come very close to me, and I almost think he was trying to kill me because the plane was firing bullets everywhere. The plane gets so close to me that I see the Japanese symbol, the Rising Sun (Hudson-Goff and Uschan), on the plane, and I even get a glimpse of the pilot. The pilot’s face shows a bloodthirsty maniac, who enjoys seeing people suffer. Luckily, I am not shot but scarred from my interaction with the Japanese.

I make it to the harbor, and I see ships being blown up and damaged from the Japanese. I look at my watch. It is 8:10, my dad is still on the Arizona. I run up to find him when I see a Japanese plane fly by it and drop a bomb, and then a huge explosion (White). I am knocked off my feet, and I fall on my back. The Arizona is badly damaged and could sink to the bottom of the harbor, but I don’t care. The only thing I care about is finding my dad.

I run into the burning ship, and I see men scrambling to escape. Not one person takes time to see me because they are too busy carrying bodies off the ship. As I get further into the wreckage, I start seeing dead or injured bodies all around me. I yell out my dad’s name, trying to find him.

Suddenly, I hear a weary voice call out, “Logan, is that you?” It’s my dad! I try to help my dad stand up, but he can’t. That’s when I notice that his left leg is bending where it shouldn’t have been bending. Holding back my breakfast, I try to pull him, but I’m not strong enough.

Thinking this was the end, tears running down my face, I tell my dad, “I’m sorry.”

Then, out of the blue, a sailor comes in and says, “Hey you, kid, this thing is about to fully go underwater, you need to get out of here!”

“I can’t leave without my dad!” I yell at him. The sailor grabs my dad and helps me bring him out of the ship right before it goes under. As the ship goes under, I think of all the dead and injured on that ship.

I woke up at my house a week after the attacks. It was December 14, 1941, and America was in World War 2. On December 8, President Roosevelt convinced Congress to declare war on Japan, making us go into World War 2 (Nabli). Germany and Italy also declared war on us (Nabli). People think the attack on Pearl Harbor killed around 2,000 people and injured 1,000 (White). Some of my friends’ dads died, and some whole families died from Japanese planes. Yesterday, I said goodbye to Ramsey, because he is going to fight in World War 2. I hope he will be safe.

As for me, I am moving to New Jersey with my dad. My dad survived the attack, but his left leg didn’t. A few days ago he had to get it amputated, and now he can’t fight in the war. He is going to have an office job in the military in New Jersey. I am extremely lucky! Now, I am not as sad and angry about moving away from Hawaii. I realize, that wherever my family is, home is.