DAMIEN ALUMNI ‘Pioneer’ Alum Returns for Campus Visit, Pearl Harbor Day
Although John Hanna (’66) resides 4,000 miles away from Honolulu and last attended Damien Memorial half a century ago, he remains connected with the campus as a proud alum and generous donor. Now a retiree living in snowy Minnesota, Hanna was one of Damien’s “pioneer” students. Given that his father served in the U.S. Navy when Imperial Japan attacked Oahu, Hanna felt compelled to visit Hawaii last December for the 75th Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. “It was very emotional,” Hanna says of the solemn observance. “It made me appreciate what happened more than ever.” His father’s ship, the USS Phoenix, escaped Pearl Harbor during the attack, not knowing if the Japanese fleet waited outside the harbor. When the ship returned to port, the USS Arizona and USS Oklahoma were in flames and bodies of dead sailors floated in the water. “My dad never talked about it,” says Hanna, who learned details about the devastating attack by reading history books. “It all came together this December 7,” Hanna says. “What really struck me was not just what happened at Pearl Harbor, but also at Hickam and Schofield Barracks. There was also an explosion near Kamehameha School. Kids looked for Japanese military up in the hills. Kids were literally on patrol for the enemy.” Attending the Pearl Harbor ceremony was a somber occasion for Hanna. But visiting Damien later and reuniting with classmates was a joyful time. He received a warm welcome from his classmates, campus President and CEO Wes Reber Porter and Alumni Relations Event Liaison Melvin Mulligan. What are some of Hanna’s favorite Damien memories? 24