In a somber commemoration of the Pearl Harbor attack, U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii took a moment yesterday to acknowledge a nation under siege again—not by explosives, but an imploding economy. 

 

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Calling the international financial meltdown “;America's great challenge,”; Inouye drew parallels to World War II.

“;It was a costly war,”; the Medal of Honor winner said in his closing sentence to a crowd of more than 2,000 gathered at Pearl Harbor's 67th commemoration of the 1941 raid. “;And if we're not led out of this crisis, it will be a devastating time for all of us.”;

Adm. Robert Willard, Pacific Fleet commander, directly addressed the 30 survivors in attendance, telling them that they rallied a nation.

“;It was an impossible beginning, all on your shoulders, yet look at us today,”; he said, noting Pearl Harbor's status as the base of operations in the Pacific.

Although Willard did not address it, the Navy finds itself expanding its tactical operations in the Pacific and Indian oceans even as it fights legal skirmishes over the use of active sonar, which environmental groups say harms marine mammals. The Navy insists the “;pings”; are needed to detect extremely quiet, battery-powered subs operated by China, Iran and other navies.

Nothing represents the shift away from Cold War nuclear strategy better than the submarine USS Ohio, which stops in Pearl Harbor today en route to its home port in Bangor, Wash. Formerly a Trident nuclear ballistic missile submarine, the Ohio was converted to fire surface-skimming conventional missiles, rejoining the Pacific Fleet in February 2006.

Instead of the usual focus on the attack itself, yesterday's ceremony keyed in on the months that followed with the U.S. response, when the nation raised its collective hands to close “;a mighty American fist,”; Inouye said.

Encapsulating the theme was keynote speaker Thomas Griffin, a surviving member of the famous Doolittle Raid, the first U.S. air attack against Japan in retaliation for the Pearl Harbor bombing.

Griffin, who was a navigator for the B-25 “;Whirling Dervish,”; recalled the Army Air Force crew's anticipation for the attack. All members volunteered for the ambitious raid.

Griffin said the crew was so antsy and paranoid during that period, one bomber opened its bay doors to attack a large silhouette in the water while looking for submarines along the West Coast.

“;One sharp-eyed pilot said, 'That is not a submarine, that's a whale,'”; Griffin said to the audience's laughter. “;We saved a whale's life that day.”;

The operation, named after Lt. Col. James Doolittle, who spearheaded the effort, occurred in April 1942, hitting a Tokyo utilities company. The attack did minimal damage but that was not the point.

“;The Doolittle Raid was a great success because it caused the Japanese to change their plans,”; Griffin said. “;For 3 1/2 years they were on the defense.”;

Six weeks after the raid, the Japanese launched an ill-fated attack on Midway Island. National Park Service historian Daniel Martinez said the raid helped “;the country feel good about itself.”;

Many of the survivors interviewed yesterday took the time to reflect on the attack's aftermath. John Eriksson, 87, a former Marine platoon sergeant, carries reminders with him everywhere: two Japanese bullets still inside his torso.

It all began at Pearl Harbor, when he was awakened at the Marine Barracks.

“;Sure enough, they hit our barracks good,”; he said, recalling the attack. “;But we got outside, and by pure luck they were laying pipes out in the street for concrete. We jumped in and that's what saved us.”;

He went off to take part in the liberation of Guam and the bloody battle of Iwo Jima as part of the 3rd Marine Division.

A moment of silence was observed at 7:55 a.m., the time when the first bombs dropped. The Hawaii-based destroyer USS Chung-Hoon rendered honors to the USS Arizona, which suffered the most deaths of the day and remains in the harbor.

Almost 2,400 Americans died that day, including 1,177 from the Arizona. Today there are 23 surviving members of that ship, including Louis Conter, who was a petty officer 3rd class and on deck during the attack.

Conter was behind a turret and began firing toward the planes. Within minutes the ship blew up, and Conter escaped in a launched vessel. For hours he helped recover survivors and bodies, and fought a fire that burned for two days.

For years, Conter feared to revisit the memories and the site of the attack until the 50th anniversary. Now 87, he has come back 10 times since 1991.

“;We were just lucky, and it wasn't our time to go,”; Conter said of the survivors. “;Thank God, because I got home afterward, got married, had children and grandchildren. But we're going one by one. So it's real good to come back. We're all shipmates.”;