Civilian Witness to History Turns 100

CIVILIAN WITNESS

TO HISTORY Turns 100

Robert Lee, better known to a legion of family and friends as Uncle Bob, was born Oct. 21, 1921 in Honolulu.

His story is compelling.

At the age of 20, he was living in Aiea with a view of Battleship Row. On that now infamous Sunday morning, he awoke to loud noises that turned out to be American anti-aircraft gunners fighting back after Japan launched a surprise attack on Oahu.

He saw the USS Arizona explode and the USS Oklahoma overturn. He evacuated his grandfather to safety and fired his .22 caliber rifle at the Japanese warplanes.

After the attack, he assisted his mother who was washing down sailors covered in oil. He recalls that the sailors were angry and anxious to get back to their ships.

Later that day he assisted in moving the injured from Hickam Field.

On December 8, he listened to President Roosevelt’s Infamy Day speech as he watched the USS Arizona burn. That same day he joined the Hawaii Territorial Guard and later the U.S. Navy. He served on Oahu, Maui and Michigan and after the war got married and began a career at Pan American World Airways. A longtime volunteer for Pacific Historic Parks, Uncle Bob missed visiting his friends at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial during the COVID pandemic.

A little over a week after turning 100, Uncle Bob visited the park for the first time since COVID hit. He greeted longtime friends from the National Park Service and PHP who had signed a special birthday banner. He welcomed visitors who learned his incredible story and sang him Happy Birthday.

His friends and those he met for the first time thanked him for assisting those Americans in need on that Sunday morning 80 years ago. And they saluted him for his unwavering service to our country as a member of the Greatest Generation.

Uncle Bob considered the visit to the park his best birthday present.

Happy 100th Uncle Bob. And to many more!