PEARL HARBOR — Harold O’Connor, 88, was a Navy Fireman First Class on the USS Thornton, a destroyer seaplane tender, in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked.

“All the torpedo planes were coming right off our fantail,” O’Connor recalls. “I watched the West Virginia go up from two torpedoes that were dropped. All hell was breaking loose. I saw the bombs that hit the Arizona.”

That’s just one of O’Connor’s World War II stories from the Pacific. The Hawaii man was again on the Thornton in 1942 taking Marines to Palmyra Atoll, when the ship ran aground on New Year’s Eve. There he saw two torpedoes streaming toward where he stood.

“I said, ‘Goodbye world,’ and I hit the deck,” O’Connor said. “Nothing happened. I got up, and here come two more torpedoes. They came right under where I was standing.”

O’Connor’s recollections go beyond Japan’s 1941 attack on Oahu and so will the new $58 million Pearl Harbor center under construction for the USS Arizona Memorial here, says Daniel Martinez, chief historian for the emerging World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument.

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Source: USA Today

From IndependentTraveler.com

With a cosmopolitan population of 900,000, Honolulu is Hawaii’s largest city. It also is the hub of culture, politics, dining, shopping, business and entertainment in the Aloha State.

After Captain James Cook put the Hawaiian Islands on the map of the world in 1778, Honolulu became an increasingly important stop for ships traveling between America and Asia. First came fur traders, who made fortunes exchanging otter pelts from the Pacific Northwest for teas, spices and silks from China. Later, fragrant sandalwood became such a prized commodity that island forests were nearly stripped clean of it.

Then came the whalers, who plied the seas relentlessly in search of the gentle giants that were the source of rich oil. Around 1843, recognizing the importance of the harbor to local commerce, King Kamehameha III moved the capital of Hawaii from Lahaina, Maui to Honolulu, and it has held that designation ever since.

Honolulu Harbor bustles with activity every day of the week. Fishing boats, tugboats, tour boats, container ships, cruise liners and barges berth at its piers. Its centerpiece, Aloha Tower Marketplace, is a trendy shopping, dining and entertainment complex that sprawls over 11 waterfront acres. Whether you arrive by air or sea, Honolulu is your jumping-off place for an unforgettable Oahu stay.

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This was one of the best trips I have ever done!! My personal highlight was knowing that EVERYONE on my trip had a great time and really enjoyed themselves. The MCI staff were a pleasure to work with and I would love to have them plan my next trip! The on site staff was amazing. Their attention to detail was exceptional. They went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that my group was well taken care of. I would definitely serve as a reference!

Brendan Slocumb, Robert E. Lee High School Orchestra

On January 18, 1778, the English explorer Captain James Cook becomes the first European to discover the Hawaiian Islands when he sails past the island of Oahu. Two days later, he landed at Waimea on the island of Kauai and named the island group the Sandwich Islands, in honor of John Montague, who was the earl of Sandwich and one his patrons.

The visit to Hawaii started out swell (the natives thought Cook and his men were Gods) and ended poorly (The captain and his men were soon overwhelmed by angry Hawaiians, and only a few managed to escape to the safety of the Resolution. Captain Cook himself was killed by the mob.)

For a safer, more musical trip to Hawaii, let Music Celebrations International plan your concert tour as part of the American Celebration of Music in Hawaii.

Today back in 1941, a Japanese dive bomber bearing the red symbol of the Rising Sun of Japan on its wings appears out of the clouds above the island of Oahu. A swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes followed, descending on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in a ferocious assault.

The day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, President Roosevelt appeared before a joint session of Congress and declared, “Yesterday, December 7, 1941–a date which will live in infamy–the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” After a brief and forceful speech, he asked Congress to approve a resolution recognizing the state of war between the United States and Japan. The Senate voted for war against Japan by 82 to 0, and the House of Representatives approved the resolution by a vote of 388 to 1.

While on the National Festival of the States in Hawai’i, musical groups can visit and even perform at the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor.

Recently, the Enloe High School Choirs toured Hawai’i, performing in the National Festival of the States concert series organized by MCI. The following is choir director Ann Huff’s report:

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the experience of a lifetime and a dream come true! Our Hawaii tour was incredible, thanks to all of you at Music Celebrations International and David and Marci in Hawaii. My kids learned and gained so much from the opportunities offered and the people they interacted with.

You all will be receiving letters from our principal (who was on the trip), chaperones, students and myself over the next couple of months. The wonderful people who make up MCI are to be commended for all they do to give children lifetime opportunities and experiences like the one we just had in Hawaii.

Greetings to all from the Enloe HS Choral Department!

Most sincerely,

Ann Huff
Choir Director
Enloe High School, North Carolina

I was really happy with every detail of the trip. I can’t say enough how happy I was with MCI’s staff in Hawai’i. It was the little things that impresses me. The hotel had screwed up and put us on seven different floors, which left us two floors with no chaperones. The MCI staff volunteered to stay on those floors and do room checks for us. I was amazed they would do that for us. I’ve never had a tour agency assuring that the chaperones and myself enjoyed the trip. Other agencies look at the chaperones as slaves and they could care less if they enjoy themselves. Especially, the fact that they took so much of the load off of me. I generally don’t enjoy band trips, but because of what they did I was able to relax and enjoy myself. That seems like such a no brainer to me, but so few companies do that. You should be commended on having such a fine staff. Thanks again.

Eric Dasher
Band Director
Eau Claire Memorial High School