The Beginning of the End

World War II was one of the worst times to be at Clark Field airbase in the Philippines. Once we were captured by the Japanese, almost everyday has been worse then the other. I wouldn't wish these terrible things on any one, except maybe the Japanese. We were not treated as human. We weren't even treated like animals. We were treated in the most inhuman ways. However, I lived through it because I was determined to get home to my family. We were treated inhumanly, but I would have never shown fear or weakness.

It was the 7th of December in 1941. I remembered some of my buddies asking if I had heard the news. The Japanese launched their wave of planes approximately 45 minutes apart that morning. Japanese commander Mitsuo Fuchida called out, "Tora! Tora! Tora!" ("Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!") during flight over Pearl Harbor, it was a message to the entire Japanese navy telling them they had caught the Americans completely by surprise. The main target of the attack was the aircraft carriers; however, since all three U.S. aircraft carriers were out to sea, the Japanese focused on the battleships. There were eight battleships at Pearl Harbor that day, which included all the ships of the U.S. Pacific fleet except for one (the Colorado). All eight U.S. battleships were either sunk or damaged during the attack. Amazingly, all but two (the Arizona and the Oklahoma) were eventually able to return to active duty (Rosenburg, Pearl Harbor facts). They were bound to attack somewhere else, possibly somewhere close. 

Right now we were in the Philippines guarding Clark Field airbase (M. Montoya) from enemy aircraft (H. Montoya, 2009, xi).  There was no doubt that we just might be next. That being the case we needed to leave. The next day, December 8th, 1941, the Japanese attacked Clark Field and we had to protect our selves (M. Montoya).

Works Cited

Montoya, Horacio H.. Rising sun over Bataan: memoirs of war. Charleston, SC: BookSurges] ;, 2008. Print.

"Must-Know Facts About the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor." About.com 20th Century History. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. <http://history1900s.about.com/od/Pearl-Harbor/a/Pearl-Harbor-Facts.htm>.