2016 Summer Remembrance

Remembrance S U M M E R

2 0 1 6

A PAC I F I C H I S TO R I C PA R K S P U B L I C AT I O N



President & CEO Ray L’Heureux

Board of Directors Neil A. Sheehan, Chairman Alan Mattson, Vice-Chairman Giorgio Caldarone, Secretary Jeff Bell, Treasurer James Boersema Noel W. Bragg Brenda Lei Foster Colette J. Higgins Ray L’Heureux Patricia A. Lucas Mark Y. Matsunaga Clif Purkiser Alfred B. K. Rodrigues Alby L. Saunders George E. Sullivan Kwai S. “Sunny” Young

Directors Emeritus James K. Sylva Geoffrey M. White

Contents

94-1187 Ka Uka Blvd.

Waipahu, HI 96797 www.pacifichistoricparks.org 808-954-8726 Toll-free: 888-485-1941

75th Commemoration Event Schedule

4

Virtual Pearl Harbor Experience to Debut in December

6

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Education Opportunity

7

The USS West Virginia Memory Project

8

World War II and Civil Rights in Boulder

9

Oral History: Irene Perez Ploke Sgambelluri

10

The Civil Air Patrol at Kalaupapa

11

5-Year Mooring Quay Project to Begin

14

Acts of Valor Video Contest

14

Dwight LeRoy Cobb (1932-2016)

15

Chairman’s Message p. 3 Mahalo to Donors p. 3 Prayer for the Dead p. 12 Cover: Sailors fold a flag at the ash scattering ceremony for Donald Snow at the USS Utah Memorial on Ford Island on Dec. 7, 2015. Photo by Elaine Simon

Pearl Harbor Gram p. 13 Survivor Update p. 13 Support PHP p. 16

Legal Adviser Joachim P. Cox 

Editor Elaine Simon esimon@pacifichistoricparks.org

Editorial Advisers Edean Saito Minette Lew-McCabe 

Mission Statement

Pacific Historic Parks supports the National Park Service through research, preservation, restoration, fund development, education and interpretive programs of WWII in the Pacific and other Pacific historic sites.

Remembrance is published four times a year as a benefit to members of Pacific Historic Parks.

2 | REMEMBRANCE SUMMER 2016

In Memoriam: Historian and author Pierre Moulin (1948-2016) passed away recently. He was frequently present at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center autographing his books. At right is a photo of him on his last day at the visitor center, taken April 10, 2016, with Dr. Vince Beresford (standing), the new president and CEO of Go For Broke National Education Center.

Pierre dedicated his life to telling the story of the Japanese-American soldiers of World War II, particularly the 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team, which liberated his hometown in France.

His books include American Samurais - WWII in the Pacific, American Samurais WWII in Europe, and American Samurais WWII Camps.

Correction: In the last issue, Spring 2016, Joseph Langdell’s name was misspelled in the article headline on page 4. We regret this error.

Photo courtesy of Victoria Olson

Chairman’s Message Earlier this year, Hawaii Gov. David Ige convened

a committee of Hawaii-based community leaders and requested that planning commence for the 75th Commemoration of the anniversary of the bombing that occurred on Oahu on Dec. 7, 1941.

Pacific Historic Parks (PHP) has responded to the call and has dedicated significant resources and time to assist in this significant endeavor that will be marked by a series of events spanning Dec. 1-11 in Hawaii. The official website contains a lot of information and can be found at pearlharbor75thanniversary.com.

The committee is chaired by retired Adm. Tom Fargo, and the group’s theme for the commemoration is “Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future.” The theme was chosen in order to properly honor those who fought in World War II but also to educate and inspire current and future generations to learn about the war, and the important history that followed the bombs at Pearl Harbor.

PHP’s important mission is to help tell the individual and collective stories of those who served, but also the stories of those civilians who died or were injured that day nearly 75 years ago on Oahu. Additionally, PHP will be entering into a “Friends Agreement” with the National Park Service (NPS) to help tell the stories of JapaneseAmerican internment at Honouliuli and work

Mahalo!

We would like to recognize the following donors for their recent contributions.  Aliamanu Elementary School  Carl Beale  Combat Artist Collection  December 7th 1941 Pearl Harbor Remembrance Association

with the NPS to see how we can help preserve an important part of our history.

We plan to honor all survivors that are able to make the trip to Oahu later this year but also continue to educate the younger generations. We will be looking at ways to broadcast some of the events via the Internet and through live streaming. Later this year, PHP will be unveiling changes at World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument that will incorporate new technologies and information delivery methods to not just visitors at the park but also to potentially millions of people around the world through investments into new technology.

On behalf of the PHP staff and our board of directors, thank you for your support. We share your passion and are humbled by our mission.

Neil Sheehan Chairman of the Board Pacific Historic Parks

 Edward Funkhouser

PHP President & CEO Ray L’Heureux presents a certificate of appreciation to Alana Libed, representing Aliamanu Elementary School.

 Jiles Rex Riggs  Mutual Publishing  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration  National Park Foundation  The Outdoor Foundation  Pacific Islands Institute  Partners in Preservation REMEMBRANCE SUMMER 2016 | 3

Commemoration Event Schedule www.pearlharbor75thanniversary.com FRIDAY, DEC. 2

MONDAY, DEC. 5

USS Arizona Reunion Association Wreath Laying Ceremony, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl)

Fighting Two Wars: Japanese American Veterans Tribute, Hilton Hawaiian Village, ticketed event.

This event will honor the World War II veterans of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service and 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion. Those units were made up primarily of Americans of Japanese ancestry, who answered the call to arms with unsurpassed service and sacrifice.

Evening with the Keynote Speaker, Pearl Harbor Visitor Center Theater

SATURDAY, DEC. 3 “For Love of Country—Pass It On” Opening Gala, Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor: This annual fundraiser helps support the museum’s restoration and education programs. For more information, call (808) 441-1006.

SUNDAY, DEC. 4 Aerological Tower Dedication, Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor Escape to 1941: An Immersive Experience for Students, Pacific Historic Parks, Pearl Harbor Visitor Center Lanai Remember Pearl Harbor Documentary Film Premiere, Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor, ticketed event, by invitation only. WWII Foundation’s one-hour documentary features interviews with six Pearl Harbor Survivors, including Mitsuo Fuchida, the Japanese pilot who led the attack on Pearl Harbor, and is narrated by actor Tom Selleck.

Attendees can meet USS Arizona survivors and Iwo Jima Medal of Honor recipient Woody Williams.

For more information, call (808) 445-9069.

Night at the Museum: VIP Reception & Virtual Reality Premiere, Pacific Historic Parks, Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.

4 | REMEMBRANCE SUMMER 2016

TUESDAY, DEC. 6 Blackened Canteen Ceremony, USS Arizona Memorial. Private Ceremony. Co-hosted by the National Park Service (NPS) and Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor, Dr. Hiroya Sugano has been conducting this act of reconciliation with the NPS at the USS Arizona Memorial for the last 20 years.

Prayers will be extended for the dead and an offering of peace will be displayed by the pouring of whiskey from the canteen into the waters of Pearl Harbor.

8th Annual Ewa Field Battlefield Commemoration, Ewa Plain Battlefield: Ewa Mooring Mast Field was one of the first places attacked on Dec. 7, 1941 with Marine and civilian casualties.

Freedom Bell Opening Ceremony and Bell Ringing, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park: Welcome the Spirit of Liberty

Foundation Freedom Bell to Pearl Harbor. Following the 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. opening ceremony, anyone may ring the Freedom Bell in memory of service of a loved/remembered one.

The Bell will remain available until Dec. 10.

Interfaith Prayer Service, USS Arizona Memorial, private event USS Utah Memorial Sunset Service, USS Utah Memorial, Ford Island, private event 75th Commemoration Pearl Harbor Survivors Gala Tribute, Pearl Harbor Historic Sites, Hilton Hawaiian Village, ticketed event

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7 National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Commemoration, Kilo Pier, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Live stream available. The NPS and the U.S. Navy will co-host the commemoration of the attack on Pearl Harbor. This event is also supported by the City & County of Honolulu, the State of Hawaii and the Governor’s Office, members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation and other branches of the U.S. military.

Attack on Hickam Field Ceremony & Reception, Atterbury Circle, Hickam Air Force Base Brunch with Veterans, Officers’ Club Lanai, Hickam Air Force Base 75th Anniversary Pearl Harbor Mass Band Performance, Battleship Missouri Memorial: More than 1,000 student musicians will be paying respect, remembering and never forgetting the tragedies of

For Survivors and World War II Veterans If you are a Pearl Harbor Survivor or a World War II veteran planning on attending the National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Ceremony at Kilo Pier, Pearl Harbor, the Navy would like to hear from you.

Please contact the Navy Region Hawaii Public Affairs Office at navyhawaiipublicaffairs@gmail.com or (808) 473-1173. Pearl Harbor Survivors and World War II by presenting the world “A Gift of Music” via webcast.

USS Oklahoma Memorial Ceremony, USS Oklahoma Memorial, Ford Island 25th Infantry Division Commemoration Ceremony, Fort DeRussy, private event USS Arizona Interment Ceremony, USS Arizona Memorial, private ceremony. The NPS and the U.S. Navy will conduct the interment ceremony. Full military burial honors will be rendered by the U.S. Navy, and interment into the ship will be accomplished by the NPS Dive Team.

Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade, Waikiki: Produced by Historic Programs, this parade honors the remaining Pearl Harbor Survivors as the grand marshals and honors and recognizes all veterans, active duty military and their families.

The History Channel, the parade’s presenting sponsor, is producing a two-hour special about the Pearl Harbor Survivors coming back for the 75th anniversary and would like

Photo by Donny Chambers

World War II veterans will receive an invitation to the commemoration ceremony and other events as available. Please provide a short biography (photo if possible) and the following: name, mailing address, telephone, and email address. If you have questions or special requests, please feel free to contact the Navy at the e-mail or telephone number above.

to include as many survivors as possible. It is sending film crews to survivors’ hometowns to interview them and share their stories. The special will air in December just prior to the parade. If you are a survivor and would like to participate, please call Earl Hurrey at (480) 654-2010 ext. 120.

SATURDAY, DEC. 10

THURSDAY, DEC. 8

FREE ONGOING EVENTS

Veterans and Active Duty Military & Families Celebration, Fort DeRussy, private event

FRIDAY, DEC. 9 Righteous Revenge, Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor.

Local TV newscaster, actor and playwright Joe Moore will be joined

by Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak for a reprise of Moore’s play, Righteous Revenge. This historical drama tells the true story of the heroic Doolittle Raid. The success of the mission lifted the spirit of the American people and became a legendary tale of World War II. For information or to purchase tickets, call (808) 447-1794.

Signature Concert “Inspiring the Future,” Aloha Stadium, ticketed event

SUNDAY, DEC. 11 Honolulu Marathon (Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future)

Military Band Performances Dec. 1-6: Pearl Harbor Visitor Center Lanai Movies on Waikiki Beach Dec. 2 (U.S. Air Force theme), Dec. 4-5 (U.S. Navy theme, U.S. Army theme), and Dec. 8-9 (U.S. Marine Corps theme, U.S. Coast Guard theme), Waikiki Outdoor Theater Bell Ringing Dec. 6-10, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park For the most up-to-date information and full details of each event, please visit pearlharbor75thanniversary.com or call (877) 589-8898. All events are subject to change.  REMEMBRANCE SUMMER 2016 | 5

Virtual Pearl Harbor Experience to Debut in December

BY TOM GERRISH, DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY, AND CARLTON KRAMER, VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES & MARKETING

The National Park Service, in

partnership with Pacific Historic Parks, is creating a Pearl Harbor mobile app to enhance the visitor experience at World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument as well as bring the Monument to those unable to visit. Through the power of technology, the app will be available to anyone in the world interested in the USS Arizona Memorial and the attack on Pearl Harbor.

To enable a 3-D virtual reality experience, the app will be used in conjunction with various virtual reality viewers, which can be purchased or rented at the USS Arizona Memorial Narrated Tour ticket counter, located in the courtyard of the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, as well as online.

This exciting new app will include the National Park Service’s three virtual reality tours which will showcase a unique blend of visual and fascinating educational content.

These tours include: • Walking the decks of the USS Arizona Battleship on Dec. 6, 1941, • Witness the attack on Battleship Row, and • Visiting the USS Arizona Memorial.

This new app also will provide additional information to augment the existing museum

6 | REMEMBRANCE SUMMER 2016

exhibits, signage and sites at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, allowing the visitor to explore much deeper into history. For example, when standing at Contemplation Circle, the app on the visitor’s smart phone will be able to pull up an image of what Battleship Row looked like on Dec. 7, 1941, and provide an accompanying article explaining what occurred at that time in history.

Additionally, a student in Minnesota will be able to experience a virtual tour of

In addition, there will be a separate, free Pearl Harbor app, which will provide the public indepth visitor information for the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center and the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites.

Visitor information will include upcoming events, maps, parking, official Pearl Harbor tours, Arizona Memorial ticketing, group programs and important information on the USS Bowfin Submarine, Battleship Missouri Memorial, Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor, USS

This affordable Google Cardboard virtual reality viewer is one way to experience the virtual tour using the app on a smartphone.

the USS Arizona Memorial and access museum information and stories, as if he or she were actually at Pearl Harbor.

The availability of this digitized museum archive will make possible the creation of distance learning modules for educators, potentially reaching school children thousands of miles away. Individuals also will be able to create their own webinars, podcasts or videos using content from the archive.

Oklahoma Memorial and the USS Utah Memorial. Within the free app, users can opt to purchase and download the virtual reality tours.

Work is progressing to make this project ready for its official launch on Dec. 4, in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and more information on how you can get the app will be available at PacificHistoricParks.org. 

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Education Opportunity

BY RAY L’HEUREUX, PRESIDENT AND CEO

“Honoring the Past, Inspiring

the Future” — the theme for the 75th Commemoration — is even more powerful when you consider today’s younger generation and the Greatest Generation coming together one last time during this national event as a once in a lifetime education opportunity.

Not only is Pearl Harbor Day a national story, but it is also a local story. There are so many facets to the attack and how it affected not only those in uniform but other survivors: civilians, children, the Japanese-American community, the Hawaii chapter of the American Red Cross and

many others who witnessed and survived the attack on Oahu.

Many of these stories will be focal points of the education program that will be a large focus of the events calendar for the commemorative week.

Pacific Historic Parks (PHP) has volunteered to be the lead coordinator for the wonderful education opportunity that this 75th Commemoration will present. We plan to engage students globally, nationally and locally to collaborate and understand from their perspective what this commemoration means to them, while connecting them

with the surviving members of the Greatest Generation.

PHP will facilitate this “talk story” via electronic field trips, virtual reality experiences, youth summits, symposiums and the creation of Hawaii Dept. of Education tool kits for each grade level that will provide curriculum.

PHP is proud to lead this charge, and even more proud to have the support and engagement of Hawaii’s first lady, Mrs. Dawn Ige. We will engage our students and give them the opportunity to learn from this very meaningful and poignant story. 

REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR YOUR OFFICIAL SOURCE FOR 75TH ANNIVERSARY MERCHANDISE

75th Anniversary Midnight Blue Tee...$21.95

75th Anniversary Cap...$21.95

75th Anniversary T-shirt...$21.95

75th Anniversary Ornament...$9.95

Limited edition merchandise approved by the National Park Service.

Products available for wholesale E-mail wholesale@pacifichistoricparks.org

75th Anniversary Patch...$3.95

75th Silver Challenge Coin Arizona Memorial with Box...$24.95

Pacific Historic Parks members get 15% off! Use coupon code member15 during checkout.

Visit phpstore.org or call 1-888-485-1941.

75th Pearl Harbor Day Coin in Gold...$24.95

A group photo from his visit with Unabara-kai (the Japanese Imperial Navy Surviving Aviators Association) in January (from left): Mr. Hirano (director general, Unabara-kai), Dr. Kanno (officer, Unbara-kai, Shoji Satake and Dr. Sugano (director general, Zero Fighter Admirers Club). Dr. Maeda was not pictured due to ailing health.

West Virginia University students (from left) Ken Lu, Jared Peterson, Emily Harmon and Tessa Lee Martinez hold up signs for their social media campaign at Pearl Harbor.

The USS West Virginia Memory Project Memory, legacy, reconciliation. Thinking about our past, present, and future.

BY SHOJI SATAKE, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY

The USS West Virginia Memory

Project is an interdisciplinary visual art and design initiative that connects U.S. and Japanese veterans of World War II and reminds people of the crossroads between a local sense of place and a global understanding of that place in the world. Over a threeyear period, this project has involved West Virginia University students in the Global Positioning Studies’ Art & Environment class.

This project is envisioned to look beyond our differences and think of the commonality of our humanity. It relates to my goals and interests with regards to sitespecific installations and creating art that is bigger than me. It is to fulfill my interest as an artist to engage viewers to think about our humanity through our past, present and future.

8 | REMEMBRANCE SUMMER 2016

Two years ago, I received permission from the U.S. Navy with the help Scott Pawlowski of the National Park Service, World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, to collect water from Pearl Harbor where the USS West Virginia, nicknamed the “Wee Vee,” was moored. On the campus of West Virginia University, we have the mast and bell from the ship.

The water that was collected was poured over these objects to reconnect the ship and her sailors.

The water was then taken to Tokyo, Japan and passed through the hands of Takeshi Maeda, the B5N bomber pilot who sank the USS West Virginia, on Jan. 14, 2016.

Next, the water will be taken to the new USS West Virginia, an Ohio class, nuclear submarine, and the water will be passed to

the new generation of sailors who are part of this legacy.

In October, the water will be poured over the mast of the Wee Vee on campus in a ceremony with some of the survivors. A number of vials of this water will then be given to the remaining survivors. Later, water will be poured back into Pearl Harbor in a ceremony, and a display containing the water will be created and presented to the museum in Pearl Harbor as part of a remembrance ceremony.

The second part of this project is a social media campaign, launched in May, to encourage the citizens of West Virginia to petition Congress to help create a USS West Virginia Memorial at Pearl Harbor. More information can be found at facebook.com/ usswestvirginiamemorial. 

World War II and Civil Rights in Boulder

BY DAVID M. HAYS, ARCHIVIST, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER LIBRARIES

The beginning of the modern

civil rights movement in the United States is often dated to Brown v. Board of Education in 1951. However, an examination of records at the University of Colorado (CU) reaffirms earlier origins of the civil rights movement that only some historians have suggested.

Between 1938 and 1945, CU faculty and students worked to address racial and ethnic discrimination against blacks, Jews and Japanese Americans on and off campus at Boulder.

In the fall of 1938, liberal students spoke out for an end to discriminatory practices

by Boulder’s cafés, drugstores and barbershops. CU’s Faculty Senate formed a committee to investigate conditions and report on possible ways to address such practices. School officials discovered informal segregation practiced on campus, and to a much greater degree in town, barring access to housing, training, and honorary and social societies. The committee examined the relevant laws in order to “preserve democracy with reference to minority rights.” They suspected they would need tactics to protect minority students, should “hearty cooperation of extramural groups fail to materialize.”

Between 1938 and 1941, a discreet faculty and student

effort reached out to campus groups as well as the city’s business and restaurant owners.

University successes in creating multiethnic housing and oncampus dining facilities as well as alleviating discrimination in teacher training, the Boulder sanitarium, medical school, and honorary societies were unfortunately not matched by businesses offering public amenities in town.

Between 1942 and 1945, a new cohort of student leaders embraced values bolstered by World War II rhetoric. With the identification of democracy and equality as Allied values, totalitarianism and racism were applied to the enemy. In January 1943, a handful of black students began to peacefully protest segregation by visiting local diners, cafes and drugstores.

They quietly visited each establishment, awaiting service, armed with a copy of the antidiscrimination statute and full knowledge of the university’s progress on civil rights. One drugstore vociferously refused service. That night, four white students demonstrated the redefinition and reattribution of American racism as Nazism and treason by painting red swastikas, “Quisling,” “Aryans Only” and “Boycott” on the drugstore’s outer wall.

Into these black and white

Newspaper clipping from Feb. 2, 1943

arguments came the arrival of the U.S. Navy Japanese/ Oriental Language School with its Nisei instructors and a surge in Japanese-American student enrollment, prompted

by Executive Order 9066. The sudden increase of Japanese Americans on and off campus, from fewer than 30 to more than 300, forced the university and Navy to work with the Boulder City Council and Chamber of Commerce to keep the peace. Although they did not necessarily change any views, these efforts insured no ghettoization, groundswell of hostility, or organized backlash from locals.

By 1945, substantive progress had been made. Support for desegregation had risen from a 1939 Fortune magazine estimate of 12 percent in the Midwest to an estimated high of 97 percent among CU women in 1943. Local restaurants had opened their doors to blacks, and Boulder became a friendlier place to Japanese Americans compared to surrounding states.

The efforts by state, campus and Navy authorities mitigated local biases and created a successful structure and method for dealing with future questions regarding discrimination.  A longer version of this article can be found online at remembrance. pacifichistoricparks.org.

REMEMBRANCE SUMMER 2016 | 9

Oral History:

Irene Perez Ploke Sgambelluri

BY VICTORIA�LOLA M. LEON GUERRERO

The following is an excerpt from Families in the Face of Survival, a 248-page, hardcover book featuring the stories of 16 survivors of the Japanese occupation of Guam. Here is an excerpt from Irene Sgambelluri’s story.

Tired and hungry were

the words Irene Perez Ploke Sgambelluri used to describe how she felt every day during the war. She was only 10 years old at the onset of the war and, instantly, her life was forever changed.

In 1941, Irene’s family lived in Agat. Her father, John. F. Ploke, and her mother Beatrice Duenas Taitano Perez Ploke had four children including Irene. Danny was 12 years old, Pauline was nine, and Irene’s baby sister Genevieve was only eight months old. Mr. Ploke was a pharmacist mate first class in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to Agat to tend to people in need of medical treatment.

On Dec. 8, 1941, Irene and her family were having breakfast when they heard the sound of planes flying over the island, and saw black objects dropping from them. Minutes later, her grandfather, Atanacio Taitano Perez, called to tell them that the United States and Japan were at war.

Unlike many Chamorro

10 | REMEMBRANCE SUMMER 2016

families who did not expect the Japanese invasion, Irene’s family was aware of it before it occurred. The United States military had warned her family to leave the island, but her mother had refused. She had wanted to remain with Irene’s grandparents, because they were old. In the midst of the bombing, Irene’s grandfather sent his driver to help transport her family to Hagåtña, where he lived, so that they could all be together. Irene’s family traveled light, only carrying some clothing and documents.

Once they arrived in Hagåtña, they realized that they could not stay there, and found shelter at a ranch in Adacao belonging to her grandmother’s brother, Gregorio Duenas. They did not have the opportunity to rest overnight because they had to move quickly to Adacao. They stayed at the ranch for about three days, where they and the Duenas family slept on guafak floor mats, and they ate chickens, rice, and eggs for their meals.

During this time, Irene’s father had to hide in the jungle from the Japanese. Because he was an American in the Navy, he was wanted by the Japanese. Eventually a Japanese interpreter and two Japanese soldiers came looking for him at the ranch. They told Irene’s mother that he had to surrender

Irene Perez Ploke Sgambelluri

or their family would be killed, and so her mother sent Irene to search for him. Once she found her father, she shared the news with him. He removed his shirt, tied it to a stick, and surrendered while holding Irene’s hand. “I will never forget that day,” she said. “I did not know this then, but my father’s fate was that of a prisoner of war.”

Irene’s father was taken to Hagåtña and imprisoned in a building next to the Cathedral Basilica with other men. Days later while taking coffee to her father, Irene and her family discovered that all the men, including her father, were transferred to Zentsuji Prisoner of War camp in Osaka, Japan.

“We never had a chance to say goodbye,” she said. “And we feared we would never see him again.”

To continue reading Irene Sgambelluri’s story and others, you may purchase Families in the Face of Survival online at phpstore.org or by calling (888) 4851941. This excerpt was reprinted with permission by the Guam War Survivors Memorial Foundation. 

CAP show at Kalaupapa airport. Paul Harada standing in front.

The Civil Air Patrol at Kalaupapa

BY KA‘OHULANI MCGUIRE, CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGIST, KALAUPAPA NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

The bombing of Pearl Harbor

on Dec. 7, 1941 and World War II brought changes to the remote Kalaupapa community.

Martial law was enforced, and civilian boats were prevented from leaving the harbors.

This meant that boats making regular deliveries of food and needed medical supplies to the settlement were grounded. For the first few months, the only way supplies were brought in was via the steep cliff trail, until an arrangement was worked out with the Coast Guard to use a 65-foot civilian fishing vessel.1 Architectural changes were seen in the several Quonset huts that were constructed around the settlement.

Cathrine Puahala was a young teen at Kalihi Hospital, and she describes what she saw on that fateful day: “That’s when we start hearing the planes fly over. So many of them … We didn’t know they’re gonna attack Pearl Harbor. So we just watch the whole incident. Got a bird’s eye view … Cause we heard the planes flying over towards us.

Oh, plenty! And then we saw the smoke, black smoke, ‘cause they were bombing already.”2 Fearing for the children’s safety and the close proximity to Pearl

Harbor, five months later, the Board of Health decided to relocate them to Kalaupapa.

A group of about 38 patients, mostly children, were sent to the settlement by boat. Having children again in the small community brought a sense of revitalization. The school was reopened so they could continue their education. These children grew up to be stalwart citizens of Kalaupapa.

In addition to changing life at Kalaupapa, the bombing of Pearl Harbor brought other wartime activities to the settlement.

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) was established by formal order during World War II to utilize civilian pilots to help in common defense activities so they wouldn’t be grounded during the war. Originally organized under the Office of Civilian Defense in 1941, CAP was transferred to the Army Air Force in 1943.

The Kalaupapa 498th Flight Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol was established in 1949 and was active during the Cold War in the 1950s. Its main purpose was to provide military support activities post World War II. Their call sign was “Firebrand 5.” A small room at

the back of the Kalaupapa Craft Store was turned into CAP headquarters. Meetings were held every Tuesday at 7 p.m., and membership was comprised mostly of patients, with just a few other members from the larger Kalaupapa community.

Meeting minutes and attendance log books indicate the officers were Edward Bell, commander; Walter Siu, communications officer; Lee Newton, adjutant; Elmer Wilson, operations officer; Harlan Davis, training officer; and Isaac Keao, supply officer. Members gave daily reports on the weather and recorded radio and air traffic messages.

An interesting note in the meeting minutes is a mention of “Operation Santa Claus.” On a mid-December day, 12 CAP aircraft arrived at Kalaupapa with 22 personnel bringing Christmas joy to the patients.

Father Logan, the Catholic priest, was having a Christmas party that day!

At its highest point there were 27 members in the squadron. By February 1958, membership was down to four, and the squadron was deactivated in 1959.  1 2

Personal communication, Frank Burns July 10, 2001 interview REMEMBRANCE SUMMER 2016 | 11

PRAYER FOR THE DEAD “Eternal rest grant unto them and let perpetual light shine upon them and may they rest in peace.”

Joseph Bailey USS Whitney Vancouver, Wash.

Chester Douglas Dukes USS San Francisco Columbus, Texas

Wilfred C. Gagne USS Tennessee Norfolk, Va.

Robert R. Kirby USS Honolulu Oceanside, Calif

James Morgan Strong Jr. Kaneohe NAS Prattville, Ala.

Dominic Baldrachi Schofield Barracks Bartlesville, Okla.

Lewis Jacob Egnotovich USS Oklahoma Beatrice, Neb.

Adolph Hengl USS Tennessee Livermore, Calif.

Gene L. Mock USS Nevada South Jordan, Utah

Bill H. Thornton USS Tennessee Richmond, Va.

Edward M. Bartholomew USS Pennsylvania Troy, N.Y.

Hilliard H. “Curly” Elliott Naval Base Pearl Harbor Granada Hills, Calif.

Clarendon “Clare” Hetrick USS Arizona Las Vegas, Nev.

Michael L. O’Bradovich USS Antares Santa Clara, Calif.

Robert J. Ulrich USS California Lisbon, Iowa

Paul A. Benko USS Helena San Pablo, Calif.

ElRoy Ellner USS Nevada Bartow, Fla.

Ralph Jeffers USS Curtiss Oakhurst, N.J.

William F. Valenzuela USS Raleigh Rochester, Minn.

Charles Boyer Kaneohe NAS, Transportation Dept.

Spokane Valley, Wash.

William A. “Gus” Evans San Diego, Calif.

Francis P. Jenkins USS Bagley San Rafael, Calif.

Alfred Dominic Perucci NAS Kaneohe Bay VP14 San Diego, Calif.

Michael F. Farrell USS Medusa San Bruno, Calif.

Lester L. Johnston USS Perry Newark, Ohio

George D. Frazier Schofield Barracks Warminster, Pa.

LeRoy Keihn USS Tennessee Grove City, Ohio

William D. Collins U.S. Army - Aircraft Signal Co. Summerville, S.C.

Jesse T. Reynolds USS MacDonough Gallatin, Mo. Fremont August “Cap” Sawade Camp Malakole, 251st C/A Escondido, Calif.

Edwin Hugh Waldron Ford Island NAS Madera, Calif.

John Edwards Wood 4th Defense Battalion - USMC Glasgow, Ky.

PEARL HARBOR SURVIVORS ASSOCIATION REPORT OF DEATH Unit or station on December 7th: _________________________________________________________ Name: _______________________________________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________________________________ Date of death: _________________ Services: ______________ Funeral Home: ____________________ Interment: ____________________________________ Continue sending Remembrance?  Yes  No Next of kin: __________________________________ Relationship: _____________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________________________________ Remarks: _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Form prepared by: _________________________ Relationship:____________________Date: ________ Address: _____________________________________________________________________________ Email: __________________________________________ Phone: ______________________________ PLEASE INCLUDE AN OBITUARY NOTICE, IF POSSIBLE

This form is available online at grams.pacifichistoricparks.org/PDFs/Report-of-Death.pdf Please complete and mail to: Edean Saito, Special Projects Manager Pacific Historic Parks, 94-1187 Ka Uka Blvd., Waipahu, HI 96797

To our remaining PHSA members and our

in assuming the responsibilities required by being a corporate entity.

There are some of us still around that we want to talk to, and this gives us a fine way to do it.

When the PHSA was formed in 1958, we had 58,000 of our eligible folks join the PHSA. When you consider that there was still a substantial combat risk through 1945, and natural aging, that was a good response.

friends,

Considering there were 84,168 uniformed personnel eligible for membership by their being on Oahu at the time of the attack on Dec. 7, 1941, we still have a fairly accurate count of 2,747 on the right side of the soil as of May 2016. Our count is based on the reports we receive from many of our PHSA social groups and from reports received from other tracking groups. My thanks to those groups who regularly meet and send me memos on their activities.

As the national president, it was necessary for me to contact our executive committee and close down the organization as of Dec. 31, 2011. We were a 501(c)3 corporation chartered by Congress, and we did not have members who were interested

Keep up the social groups. Here in the Norfolk area of Virginia, we meet once a month for lunch and have close to 39 people show up, made up by one or two survivors, spouses, widows and friends.

We hope to continue.

Best wishes and aloha, Bill Muehleib National President Emeritus PHSA

Pearl Harbor Survivor Herb Weatherwax

Celebrates 99 Years PHOTOS BY MINETTE LEW�MCCABE, ASSISTANT DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

REMEMBRANCE SUMMER 2016 | 13

5-Year Mooring Quay Restoration Project to Begin

BY REBECCA SCHWAB, VISUAL INFORMATION SPECIALIST

The National Park Service

(NPS) is partnering with the Concrete Preservation Institute (CPI), a nonprofit educational foundation comprised of

industry leaders in concrete preservation, on a five-year mooring quay restoration project beginning this year.

The mooring quays are the last structures remaining from the attack on Battleship Row during

the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The concrete mooring quays were used to secure the battleships along Battleship Row and relieve congestion by providing almost double the space compared to anchored moorings. They played a significant role in salvage operations as well, helping workers raise the USS California, USS West Virginia, and right and refloat the USS Oklahoma.

Since being included in the 2008 Presidential Proclamation designating World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, mooring quays F6, F7 and F8 have been systematically assessed for structural integrity. The NPS has found that the quays are falling apart due to environmental deterioration.

Without restoration, the quays will disintegrate completely.

The project to restore the quays will not only preserve them but will also provide job training for active duty service members.

Starting in September, CPI will train transitioning military members to complete the restoration, preparing them for concrete, construction, and many other careers in the skilled trades or at the management level.

After the three-month training program, CPI plans to graduate the first class of students.

Restoring the mooring quays will take significant financial resources and time. A partnership is envisioned that brings together the NPS, Pacific Historic Parks and CPI with goals to fundraise, plan and execute the repair of mooring quays F6, F7 and F8.

Find out more about this project at www.nps.gov/valr. 

Acts of Valor Video Contest

BY REBECCA SCHWAB, VISUAL INFORMATION SPECIALIST

Calling all creative high school and college students!

World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument and Pacific Historic Parks are looking for submissions for a video contest called “Acts of Valor.” We want to hear the untold stories of your friends and family members and how they experienced the Pacific War. The Acts of Valor project gives young people a chance to create lasting mementos of their family member or friend’s experience of the Pacific War, share his or her story, and preserve the 14 | REMEMBRANCE SUMMER 2016

memory for future generations.

We are looking for videos between one and three minutes long that tell the story of one person who lived through the Pacific War. Please incorporate the theme of this year’s 75th Commemoration of the Pearl Harbor attack: “Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future.”

The contest is open to high school and college students.

The deadline for submissions is Oct. 31, and we’ll announce our top finalists on Nov. 11. These videos will then be posted on YouTube (www.youtube.com/

wwiivalornps), and the public will vote for the video of their choice.

The first place winner will receive a $1,000 grand prize; second place, $750; and third place, $250. Winners will be announced on Dec. 1.

For registration and submission information, please visit www. nps.gov/valr/getinvolved/actsof-valor.htm. 

Dwight Leroy Cobb March 10, 1932 – May 2, 2016

BY NOEL W. BRAGG, MEMBER, BOARD OF DIRECTORS PHOTOS COURTESY OF DENNY CHEHOCK

L

ee Cobb, as he preferred to be called, lived a full and comprehensive life during those 84 years, a life filled with achievements and service. Basically, his life can be divided into three major segments.

One: His military career in the U.S. Navy. He joined the Navy as a seaman recruit in April 1951 at the age of 19. He served continuously for 27 years until he retired in 1978 after having been promoted through nine enlisted grades and four warrant officer grades, retiring with the rank of chief warrant officer four. During his Navy career, Lee served on a variety of ships and visited 58 countries.

Two: His involvement with Pearl Harbor Honolulu Branch 46 of the Fleet Reserve Association. Lee was a member of Branch 46 for about 40 years. He served as the branch treasurer for more than 15 years and was a member of the board of directors for about 30 years. Lee never desired to be the “man in charge”; he much preferred to lead from behind the scenes. And, at Branch 46, he had a number of leadership achievements. He was an active member of the USS Arizona Memorial Museum Foundation (AMMF), which raised money to have the first visitor center built at the USS Arizona Memorial.

Lee chaired Branch 46’s building committee, which enabled the construction of the million-dollar Branch Home. Later, Lee served as the manager of the Fleet Lounge and finally retired from active involvement in Branch 46 at the age of 80.

Dwight “Lee” Cobb Chief Petty Officer Bungalows Restoration Fund It is befitting that a fund be established in Lee Cobb’s name for the restoration of these bungalows on Ford Island. Lee was a sailor, at one time a chief petty officer, whose career was focused on the remembrance of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The NPS, with the help of donations from the public, is restoring these bungalows.

We ask Pacific Historic Park members and friends to consider a significant donation to this project. An envelope is enclosed for your convenience. You may also donate online at pacifichistoricparks. networkforgood.com or by calling (808) 954-8726.

Three: His involvement with the USS Arizona Memorial. After serving the AMMF so effectively, Lee was again a founding member, this time of the Arizona Memorial Museum Association (AMMA), which was to become the tax-exempt partner of the National Park Service in operating the USS Arizona Memorial. Lee was one of seven founding members of the original board of directors and outlived five of them, faithfully serving until his death. During his tenure of service, Lee seldom missed a meeting of the board and served effectively as a member of several committees of the board. Lee participated in the first-ever strategic planning session of the board that resulted in a host of changes to AMMA in conjunction with a new strategic road map for the organization. Later, AMMA rebranded itself as Pacific Historic Parks and Lee continued to serve.

During these three segments of his life, Lee also was a husband and a father. He was first married to a Japanese woman who bore him two sons. She passed away in 1990. Lee remarried in 1991 to his current wife Julie. They enjoyed traveling.

The members of Branch 46 and Pacific Historic Parks all mourn the passing of Lee Cobb. 

Please make checks payable to Pacific Historic Parks or fill out the credit card portion of the form on the enclosed envelope.

Name: Address: City: Phone:

State:

Zip:

Donation Amt.:

94-1187 Ka Uka Blvd.

Honolulu, Hawaii 96797

Support PHP Your support makes it possible for Pacific Historic Parks (PHP) to provide important funding for programs, such as restoration, preservation and education, as we continue to fulfill PHP’s mission.

At right: Pearl Harbor Survivor Sterling Cale poses for a photo with students from St. Elizabeth School. Students were helping to promote the Vote Your Park grant contest. Photo by Elizabeth Valleriani

Membership Be part of the PHP Membership by joining online, at any of our sites or through our online and retail stores.

Donations Your one-time or recurring donation can be easily set up online or by checking the box on the membership/donation form found in the center of this publication.

Online:

www.pacifichistoricparks.org

By mail:

Pacific Historic Parks P.O. Box 29940 Honolulu, HI 96820-2340

By phone:

(808) 954-8726