Kids in WWII

Jack was born in Hawaii in 1936. The following is an excerpt from his memories of being a child during WWII.

“We were living in Honolulu at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. My dad was on the USS Sacramento. I was five years old and watching the attack from the porch until my mom pulled me inside and we crawled under the bed until the attack was over. I had to carry a gas mask to school with me in Honolulu, but the holder was also great for carrying your lunch in. There were barbed wire coils on Waikiki Beach but when we wanted to swim during the day, they would open a gap so we could get through to the water. One of my fond memories of that time was when two radiomen from the SS Trout met my mom and me and took me on board while the bullion from the Philippines was being off-loaded. I still have a peso as a reminder of that day. My father and my four uncles who served in the war all made it home safely. My dad was the national treasurer of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association for many years.”