Combat Camera: Forces Foil Taliban Ambush in Farah

Afghan National Army and Coalition forces return fire during an engagement with Taliban in Farah Province, Afghanistan, Dec. 5. The operation was conducted to disrupt Taliban activity in Farah Province and surrounding areas. U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Michael Zuk.

Afghan National Army and Coalition forces return fire during an engagement with Taliban in Farah Province, Afghanistan, Dec. 5. The operation was conducted to disrupt Taliban activity in Farah Province and surrounding areas. U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Michael Zuk.

Afghan National Army and Coalition forces return fire during an engagement with Taliban in Farah Province, Afghanistan, Dec. 5. The operation was conducted to disrupt Taliban activity in Farah Province and surrounding areas. U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Michael Zuk.

Dispatches from the Front:

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Dec. 9, 2007 -- Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition soldiers foiled a Taliban ambush in Kariz-e Sadeqin, Farah Province, Dec. 5.

The combined force was conducting a reconnaissance mission for a weapons cache when two squad-size elements of insurgents ambushed them with small-arms, rocket and indirect fire. ANSF returned small-arms and mortar fire, which allowed them to out-maneuver the insurgent forces and engage them with close air support.

The combined forces overwhelmed the insurgents with superior firepower, despite the arrival of enemy reinforcements.

“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s efforts to increase security in this region will positively affect the establishment of conditions necessary to facilitate future reconstruction and development,” said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, Combined Joint Task Force-82 spokesman. “The insurgents tried to successfully ambush the ANSF patrol. But the results speak for themselves – another failure for the Taliban.”

(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 82 news releases.)

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Combat Camera: Forces Push Taliban Out of Northern Helmand

Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition soldiers conduct a reconnaissance patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Dec. 5. The operation was conducted to disrupt Taliban activity in Helmand and surrounding areas. U.S. Army Photo, Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO.

A combined force of Afghan and Coalition Soldiers conducts a reconnaissance patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Dec. 5. The operation was conducted to disrupt Taliban activity in Helmand and surrounding areas. U.S. Army Photo, Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO.

Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition soldiers conduct a reconnaissance patrol in the vicinity of Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Dec. 5. The operation was conducted to disrupt Taliban activity in Helmand Province and surrounding areas. U.S. Army Photo, Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO.

Dispatches from the Front:

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Dec. 8, 2007 -- Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition soldiers pushed back Taliban insurgents from Now Zad, Helmand Province, Dec. 5.

The combined force was conducting a reconnaissance patrol in Now Zad when Taliban insurgents attempted to ambush the patrol from established fighting positions. The enemy fired on the ANSF using small arms, rocket and mortar fire. The ANSF immediately returned small-arms and machine-gun fire, putting the enemy on the defensive.

The enemy moved to secondary positions in an attempt to flank friendly forces, as the battle escalated. ANSF identified the new enemy fighting positions and engaged with small arms, machine gun fire and precision air strikes.
The insurgents attempted to hide among the civilian population by moving into their homes.

“The enemy attempted to take advantage of the historic Afghan hospitality by using civilian homes as fighting positions,” the ANSF commander said. “Fortunately, the residents recognized the Taliban were abusing their hospitality and wanted no part of it.”

The Afghan civilians prevented them from using the compounds and its inhabitants as human shields. Tthe enemy executed a disorderly retreat and the ANSF continued to clear the village to ensure no insurgents remained.

“The ANSF and the citizens of Now Zad both demonstrated their resolve to eliminate the Taliban menace in northern Helmand Province,” said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, Combined Joint Task Force-82 spokesman. “Continued collaboration like we saw today is the key to bringing peace and stability to this country.”

(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 82 news releases.)

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Pearl Harbor Attack Survivor Emphasizes Need for Vigilance

Robert Bishop stands outside the U.S. Capitol, where he and 13 other Pearl Harbor survivors and about 100 others including family, friends, service members and members of Congress met for a remembrance ceremony sponsored by the White House Commission on Remembrance and the Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund in partnership with the AMVETS and the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. Photographer: Fred W. Baker III, Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs.

On the Home Front:

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7, 2007 (AFPS) -- It's been 66 years, and tears still well up in the eyes of Robert Bishop when he thinks of that day.

He was a 20-year-old sailor aboard the USS Tennessee when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941. Some images are burned into his mind that he will never forget, he said.

"It was just an unbelievable sight. I couldn't believe it. How could this thing happen? But it did," Bishop said today outside the U.S. Capitol.

He had gathered with 13 other survivors and about 100 others including family, friends, service members and members of Congress for a remembrance ceremony sponsored by the White House Commission on Remembrance and the Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund in partnership with the AMVETS and the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. The event was synchronized and satellite-linked to a ceremony in Hawaii at the USS Arizona memorial.

During the attack, Bishop's duty station was in the heart of the ship, preparing to fire the ship's main battery of guns. For four hours, the horrors of that day were relayed through his radio.

"I couldn't believe what I was hearing about ships blowing up, catching on fire, rolling over. It was about four hours later before I got to go topside to see what actually happened," he said.

When he finally went topside, he couldn't believe what he saw. Bishop said he doesn't remember what he did the rest of that day.

Now, Bishop lives in Youngstown, Ohio, with his wife. At 87, he still works every day, getting up at 5 a.m. to put in eight hours working at a nearby steel mill, where he orders maintenance equipment.

Married for 65 years, Bishop jokes that he will retire when his wife quits getting up with him in the mornings and fixing his breakfast and packing his lunch.

The two meet on the third Saturday of every month with a local Pearl Harbor survivor chapter. It's the reading of the official minutes and a meal, sometimes a game of cards. There were once about 22 members. Now there are about eight who come regularly, Doris said. They try to make it to the anniversary ceremonies held in Hawaii every five years. Other years, they attend a Pearl Harbor commemorative Mass near their home.

Bishop said it is important that Americans remember the attack at Pearl Harbor and not become overconfident or too secure.

"I think we need to be more alert. It seemed that most people thought that nothing like this could happen to us. But because we were not alert enough as a nation, it did happen. We need to know what's going on around us," Bishop said.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead spoke at the event and said that today's military is stronger because of those who served then.

"Because of your example, your service, your sacrifice, we are stronger, we are better and we see the importance of a strong military to carry on that which you began: To ensure the safety and the security and the prosperity of our great country. To be able to go forward wherever it may be and serve our nation proudly as you did and to do that which is right and be mindful of that which has gone before, and be an example for the next generation that will follow us," Roughead said. "We walk in your footsteps. We honor what you have done. We have the highest respect for your service and your sacrifice."

The admiral, who once commanded the U.S. Pacific Fleet based in Hawaii, said the harbor is hallowed ground for the Navy.

"In the 13 years that I was there sailing in and out of Pearl Harbor, commanding the fleet ... I never stopped looking out on that harbor without a sense of awe, without a sense of great respect, without a sense of reverence. ...The sacrifice, the service, the camaraderie that is embodied there is palpable," Roughead said. "You feel it every day that you're on the water."

Pearl Harbor serves as a memorial for those who fought and died there, but it also is a source of inspiration for those still in uniform, he said.

"We draw our inspiration, we draw our strength, we draw our commitment from that which has gone on before. And there is no greater example than what took place that day in Pearl Harbor," Roughead said.

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More Iranian Rockets Found in Iraq

Kazakhstani Soldiers received 14 Iranian 107 mm rockets and fuses at Forward Operating Base Delta, Dec. 4, from the Iraqi civil defense corps. The rockets, manufactured in 2006, were the first Iranian rockets to be turned over to coalition forces at FOB Delta. Photograph: Multi-National Division-Central.

Kazakhstani Soldiers received 14 Iranian 107 mm rockets and fuses at Forward Operating Base Delta, Dec. 4, from the Iraqi civil defense corps. The rockets, manufactured in 2006, were the first Iranian rockets to be turned over to coalition forces at FOB Delta. Photograph: Multi-National Division-Central.

Kazakhstani Soldiers received 14 Iranian 107 mm rockets and fuses at Forward Operating Base Delta, Dec. 4, from the Iraqi civil defense corps. The rockets, manufactured in 2006, were the first Iranian rockets to be turned over to coalition forces at FOB Delta. Photograph: Multi-National Division-Central.

Dispatches from the Front:

FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq, Dec. 7, 2007 -- A cache of Iranian manufactured rockets was turned over to coalition forces based at Forward Operating Base Delta, Dec. 4.

Iraqi civil defense personnel delivered 14 107 mm Iranian rockets and fuses to the Kazakhstani soldiers, said 1st Lt. Almaz Mukashev, the Kazakhstani liaison officer. The rockets were manufactured in 2006.

The Iraqi civil defense personnel have turned over munitions to coalition forces before, but this was the first delivery of Iranian weapons by the force to coalition forces, said Col. Peter Baker, the 214th Fires Brigade commander.

“This is another indication of the cooperation of Iraqi officials who in all earnestness want to have a better society,“ Baker said. “They know these rockets are here illegally and that they are here to maim and kill Iraqi security forces and coalition forces.”

Baker said this is a sign that Iraqis are taking ownership of their area to bring about better security.

“Iraqis have to be part of the security and reconstruction effort,” Baker said. “The more stable and secure the area is, the more projects we will be able to undertake and the more capacity building we will be able to accomplish, whether it is in health, education or fuel, all of which is benefiting the Iraqis.”

The Kazakhstani unit gave the munitions to Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Three for analysis.

The Kazakhstani battalion provides EOD support to FOB Delta.

(Story from 214th Fires Brigade Public Affairs.)

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Pentagon: 'Jury Still Out' on Flow of Weapons From Iran

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7, 2007 (AFPS) -- Though U.S. officials now believe Iran stopped its nuclear weapons program four years ago, the jury is still out on the extent to which Tehran is influencing the battlefield in Iraq, two senior officers said at a Pentagon news conference today.

The new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran has caused “no course correction” on the Joint Staff, Marine Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, the Joint Staff’s director of strategic plans and policy, said.

“We take the (National Intelligence Estimate) on board as we look at the country of Iran,” he said. “The Iranians have said officially they would not support nefarious activities -- movements of weapons and materials into Iraq and Afghanistan.”

The intelligence estimate says Iran stopped its covert nuclear weapons program in 2003. The White House released an unclassified version of the estimate Dec. 3. While the Iranian government continues closure of its covert nuclear weapons program, the country restarted its uranium enrichment program in 2005, the report states. The material made from this could be used to fuel atomic bombs.

Iran also was supplying weapons, training and finances to Iraqi insurgents, but there have been indications that Iran has stopped this practice. “The frequency of spectacular or signature attacks is down, but it’s not zero,” Army Lt. Gen. Carter F. Ham, director of operations on the Joint Staff, said. “That’s a positive indicator, and we like that. But there are other indicators that weapons, munitions and training are still being provided by Iran.

“There is an effort to try and interdict that as best we can in concert with the Iraqi security forces” he continued. “But there is still an ongoing diplomatic effort, which is probably more important than the interdiction. I would say the jury is still out on what the flow (from Iran) really looks like.”

Intelligence personnel in Iraq cannot tell if caches discovered there recently contain weapons from after Iran announced its intention to stop this support to insurgents, Sattler said.

(Story by Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service.)

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Army Air Power Boosts 'Surge' in Iraq

Soldiers from Company C, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division and Iraqi soldiers are picked up in an Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter after completing an air assault mission southeast of Kirkuk. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Samuel Bendet, December 05, 2007.

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7, 2007 (AFPS) -- As ground forces in the U.S. troop surge in Iraq make more progress against insurgents, Army aviation assets back them up with crucial mobility, medical and combat support, an officer in charge of a deployed aviation brigade said today.

The combat aviation brigade of 3rd Infantry Division has been deployed since May in support of Multinational Division Center. The brigade's 128 helicopters have flown more than 65,000 hours in support of many different missions, Army Col. Daniel Ball, the brigade commander, told military analysts in a conference call from Iraq.

The aviation brigade has conducted combat operations; transported ground forces; provided medical evacuation services for coalition forces, Iraqi forces and Iraqi citizens; and conducted troop and cargo movement, Ball said. In addition, some of the brigade's five battalions have transported high-ranking officers and other dignitaries, including Iraqi government officials, around the country.

As far as kinetic -- or traditional combat -- operations go, 3rd Infantry Division's aviation brigade has been busy, Ball said. In six months, the brigade has killed 250 insurgents, wounded 100, destroyed 164 structures insurgents were hiding in, destroyed 95 insurgent vehicles, and destroyed 200 boats that insurgents were using as alternate means of getting into Baghdad, he said.

Multinational Division Center is responsible for securing the southern belt in and around Baghdad, which had been a safe haven for al Qaeda, Sunni and Shiite insurgents, Ball noted, so the aviation brigade has had plenty of opportunity to take the fight to the enemy.

"Across the division's battle space, air power is killing about 70 to 75 percent of the enemy," he said.

The ground surge in Baghdad has made it much harder for insurgents to hide out in the local population, Ball noted, especially as citizens turn against violence. In Multinational Division Center, 30,000 concerned local citizens have stepped up to assist coalition and Iraqi security forces, he said.

This positive turn in Baghdad has created more work for aviation assets, because insurgents are being flushed out of the city and into more remote areas, Ball said. This makes the enemy easier to detect, but also presents a challenge because aviation units often have to pursue terrorists into these areas without ground support, he said.

"As we squeeze the enemy, he has less place to hide, but the places that he's going, there are less and less people, ... and it gets me further and further away from the ground forces, and it becomes more of a 'disrupt operation,'" Ball said.

Heavy machine guns pose the largest threat to helicopters in Iraq, Ball said. However, the brigade is fully equipped to counter any threats, and the number of successful attacks against coalition helicopters is low, he said.

(Story by Sgt. Sara Moore, U.S. Army for American Forces Press Service.)

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Forces Defeat Taliban in Two Operations

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7, 2007 (AFPS) -- Afghan and coalition soldiers foiled a Taliban ambush in the Kariz-e Sadeqin area of Afghanistan's Farah province Dec. 5, military officials reported.

The combined force was conducting a reconnaissance mission for a weapons cache when two squad-size elements of insurgents ambushed them with small arms, rockets and indirect fire. Afghan forces returned fire with small arms and mortars, which allowed them to outmaneuver the insurgent forces and engage them with close-air support.

"The government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's efforts to increase security in this region will positively affect the establishment of conditions necessary to facilitate future reconstruction and development," said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, a Combined Joint Task Force 82 spokesman. "The insurgents tried to successfully ambush the (Afghan) patrol. But the results speak for themselves -- another failure for the Taliban."

In other news from Afghanistan, Afghan and coalition soldiers pushed back Taliban insurgents from Now Zad area of Helmand province Dec. 5. The combined force was conducting a reconnaissance patrol in Now Zad when Taliban insurgents attempted to ambush the patrol from established fighting positions. The enemy fired on the Afghan forces using small arms, rockets and mortars. The forces immediately returned small-arms and machine-gun fire, putting the enemy on the defensive.

The enemy moved to secondary positions in an attempt to flank friendly forces as the battle escalated. Afghan forces identified the new enemy fighting positions and engaged with small arms, machine guns and precision air strikes. The insurgents attempted to hide among the civilian population by moving into homes.

"The enemy attempted to take advantage of the historic Afghan hospitality by using civilian homes as fighting positions," the Afghan commander said. "Fortunately, the residents recognized the Taliban were abusing their hospitality and wanted no part of it."

The Afghan civilians prevented the enemy fighters from using the compounds and their inhabitants as human shields. The enemy fighters retreated and the Afghan forces continued to clear the village to ensure no insurgents remained.

"The (Afghan forces) and the citizens of Now Zad both demonstrated their resolve to eliminate the Taliban menace in northern Helmand province," Belcher said. "Continued collaboration like we saw today is the key to bringing peace and stability to this country."

(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 82 news releases.)

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Forces Nab Dozens of Terrorists in Iraq Operations

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7, 2007 (AFPS) -- Coalition forces captured two wanted individuals and seven additional suspects during an operation today to disrupt al Qaeda networks in Iraq’s capital city.

The wanted individuals reportedly are al Qaeda leaders in the Karkh area and are believed to have been involved in planning a future car-bombing attack in the city. The two wanted individuals allegedly are close associates of several other senior leaders involved in the network’s car-bombing operations. In addition to the wanted individuals, the ground force detained seven suspects without incident.

Recent successful coalition forces operations have left the Karkh terrorist network in a severely degraded state, officials said. Over the last month, coalition forces have captured four other wanted individuals tied to the Karkh network who reportedly were involved in attacks against coalition forces and trying to re-establish the city's car-bombing operations.

“We’re continuing to go after the terrorists who threaten Baghdad’s security,” said Navy Cmdr. Scott Rye, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. “We want to make sure that terrorist cells cannot recover from their degraded state and carry out their brutal attacks.”

In other operations this week:

• Iraqi special operations soldiers and U.S. Special Forces soldiers conducted a raid near Balad to capture a known terror cell leader reported to have conducted indirect-fire attacks against Logistics Support Area Anaconda. The cell also is suspected to have been involved in attacks against Iraqi security forces, coalition forces and Iraqi civilians in the area. Reporting indicates this cell was directly responsible for emplacing an improvised explosive device that killed three U.S. Air Force airmen near LSA Anaconda in November. During the operation, the al Qaeda leader was killed, and eight suspected terrorists were captured. Several 82 mm mortar rounds, assault rifles and loaded magazines, hand grenades, and body armor were found and destroyed during the operation.

• In a separate operation, Iraqi security forces, advised by U.S. Special Forces soldiers, detained 47 suspects for questioning during a cordon-and-search operation of Aswad village. Iraqi forces conducted the operation to disrupt terrorist cells, safe houses and weapons-storage areas in the vicinity. All detainees were placed in the custody of Khalis Iraqi police. Two improvised explosive devices were discovered and destroyed on site.

• Coalition forces captured a suspected “special groups” criminal element leader, killed two armed men in self-defense, wounded two others and detained five suspects during operations in the Hayy area, southeast of Baghdad. During the operation, ground forces came under assault by small-arms fire and engaged the armed men, killing two and wounding two others. The targeted individual and four others were detained. “Each capture of one of these criminals brings us one step closer to a secure future for Iraq,” said Army Capt. Vic Beck, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman.

• Coalition forces detained two suspected criminals during operations early Dec. 5 in the Kut area, southeast of Baghdad. The operations targeted an individual who reportedly received specialized weapons and tactical training, including in sniper rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, the construction of IEDs, and operational security. He also was suspected of being involved in training “special group” criminal element members on weapons and operational tactics. The individual reportedly is an associate of several other senior criminals involved in attacks on coalition forces. While in the target area, ground forces came under assault by small-arms fire. Two suspects were detained.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

Tags: DOD, War, Military, GWOT, terrorism, al Qaeda, al Qaida, Middle East, Operation Iraqi Freedom, United States, U.S., coalition, Iraq, Dispatches from the Front, Multinational Force
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Combat Camera: Patrolling Arab Jabour, Iraq

Spc. Keith McKern interacts with an Iraqi boy during the dismounted patrol. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Angelica Golindano, December 05, 2007.

A soldier interacts with an Iraqi child during the patrol. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Angelica Golindano, December 05, 2007.

A child playing along an irrigation ditch smiles as the Soldiers pass. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Angelica Golindano, December 05, 2007.

An Iraqi girl walks through a courtyard while a soldier provides security. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Angelica Golindano, December 05, 2007.

A soldier inspects a cave for weapons caches. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Angelica Golindano, December 05, 2007.

Soldiers trade gunfire with insurgents. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Angelica Golindano, December 05, 2007.

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Dec. 7: Pearl Harbor Remembered on 66th Anniversary

"A date which will live in infamy"
News in Balance:

RESOURCES, IMAGE COLLECTIONS

U.S. DoD Pearl Harbor 65th Anniversary Special
Pearl Harbor Attack 65 Years Ago Presents Parallels, Lessons for Terror War

Pearl Harbor Raid, 7 December 1941
Overview and Special Image Selection
(DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY) -- The 7 December 1941 Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor was one of the great defining moments in history. A single carefully-planned and well-executed stroke removed the United States Navy's battleship force as a possible threat to the Japanese Empire's southward expansion. America, unprepared and now considerably weakened, was abruptly brought into the Second World War as a full combatant.

Pearl Harbor Attack, Index of Action Reports

Pearl Harbor Attack, Additional Action Reports

Remembering Pearl Harbor
(National Geographic) -- Multimedia Map and Time Line: Photos, footage, firsthand accounts, and narration bring the attack on Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii, to life—moment by moment, target by target.

USS Arizona Memorial
(National Park Service) -- Oil droplets bubble to the surface of Pearl Harbor above the USS Arizona, creating a vivid link to the past. On a quiet Sunday morning December 7, 1941 a Japanese surprise air attack left the Pacific Fleet in smoldering heaps of broken, twisted steel. Here, peace was interrupted and paradise lost. In hours, 2,390 futures were stolen, half of these casualties from the battleship Arizona.

Pearl Harbor Memorial Panorama

Attack At Pearl Harbor, 1941
(EyeWitness to History) -- The surprise was complete. The attacking planes came in two waves; the first hit its target at 7:53 AM, the second at 8:55. By 9:55 it was all over. By 1:00 PM the carriers that launched the planes from 274 miles off the coast of Oahu were heading back to Japan.

National Museum of the Pacific War

Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund

Pacific Avation Museum, Pearl Harbor

National World War II Memorial

National Park Service: National World War II Memorial

IN THE NEWS

Survivors, Kin to Mark Pearl Harbor Attack (AP)

Today in History - Dec. 7 (AP)

Pearl Harbor dedicates new memorial today (honoluluadvertiser.com)

Never so few veterans as now to remember Pearl Harbor day (The Baltimore Sun)

Ken Taylor: The Reluctant Hero

MULTIMEDIA

Pearl Harbor Memories

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Dec. 7 Survivors Return to Pearl 66 Years Later

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (Dec. 4, 2007) Pearl Harbor survivor Chief Cook Edward Gaulrapp (Ret.) views the USS Arizona Memorial during a visit to historic Ford Island. Assigned to the Pearl Harbor-based Perch-class submarine USS Pompano (SS 181), Gaulrapp was in his barracks when the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor began. He and several other Pearl Harbor survivors are currently in the Pearl Harbor area to observe the 66th anniversary of the attack. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael A. Lantron (Released)

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (Dec. 4, 2007) Pearl Harbor survivor Chief Cook Edward Gaulrapp (Ret.) uses an aerial floor photo of Pearl Harbor, located at the Pacific Aviation Museum on Ford Island, to pinpoint his location during the Dec. 7, 1941 attack. Assigned to the Pearl Harbor-based Perch-class submarine USS Pompano (SS 181), Gaulrapp was in his barracks when the attacks began. He and several other Pearl Harbor survivors are in the Pearl Harbor area to observe the 66th anniversary of the attack. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael A. Lantron (Released)

PEARL HARBOR (Dec. 3, 2007) The names of all 429 Sailors killed aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma (BB 37) during the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor are represented at the newly built USS Oklahoma Memorial on Ford Island. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist David Rush (Released)

PEARL HARBOR (Dec. 3, 2007) Following an interview with a local television station at the site the newly built USS Oklahoma Memorial on Ford Island, Pearl Harbor survivor Senior Chief George A. Brown (Ret.) speaks with Eileen Martinez of the National Park Service about the 429 Sailors who perished during the Pearl Harbor attack aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma (BB 37). Brown said he narrowly escaped through a hatch that had been blown open following the last torpedo to hit the crippled ship during the attack on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist David Rush (Released)


PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (Dec. 3, 2007) Pearl Harbor survivor Senior Chief George A. Brown (Ret.) visits the newly built USS Oklahoma Memorial on Ford Island, which is dedicated to the 429 Sailors killed aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma (BB 37) during the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Brown said he narrowly escaped through a hatch that had been blown open following the last torpedo to hit the crippled ship. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist David Rush (Released)

PEARL HARBOR (Dec. 3, 2007) Following an interview with a local television station at the site of the newly built USS Oklahoma Memorial on Ford Island, Pearl Harbor survivor Senior Chief George A. Brown (Ret.) speaks with Eileen Martinez of the National Park Service about the 429 Sailors who perished during the Pearl Harbor attack aboard battleship USS Oklahoma (BB 37). The quotation at the top of the granite slab is from Brown, who was a ship's cook 3rd class serving on the battleship the morning of Dec. 7, 1941. He said he narrowly escaped through a hatch, which had been blown open following the last torpedo to hit the crippled ship. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist David Rush (Released)

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