Kentuckians and Pearl Harbor: Stories from the Day of Infamy

by Berry Craig

Overview

When the air raid alarm sounded around 7:55 a.m. on December 7, 1941, Gunner's Mate Second Class James Allard Vessels of Paducah was preparing to participate in morning colors aboard the USS Arizona. In the scramble for battle stations, Vessels quickly climbed to a machine gun platform high atop the mainmast as others descended below decks to help pass ammunition up to gunners. At 8:06, a bomb exploded and the Arizona sank. Vessels's lofty perch saved his life, but most of his shipmates were not so lucky.

In Kentuckians and Pearl Harbor, Berry Craig employs an impressive array of newspapers, unpublished memoirs, oral histories, and official military records to offer a ground-up look at the day that Franklin D. Roosevelt said would "live in infamy," and its aftermath in the Bluegrass State. In a series of vignettes, Craig uncovers the untold, forgotten, or little-known stories of ordinary people—military and civilian—on the most extraordinary day of their lives. Craig concludes by exploring the home front reaction to this pivotal event in American history.

Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor swept away any illusions Kentuckians had about being able to stay out of World War II. From Paducah to Pikeville, people sprang to action. Their voices emerge and come back to life in this engaging and timely history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781949669275
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	11/01/2020
Pages:	324
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Berry Craig, emeritus professor of history at West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah, is the author of many books, including Hidden History of Kentucky Soldiers. He lives in Mayfield, Kentucky.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. America and Japan: "Face-to-Face Like Duelists at the Salute"
3. "We Are Too Big, Too Powerful, and Too Strong"
4. The Arizona and the Oklahoma
5. Elsewhere on Battleship Row
6. Cruisers, Tin Cans, Friendly Fire, a Cutter, and Marines
7. The Dungaree Navy
8. The Army
9. Civvy Street, Hawaii
10. Keeping the Home Fires Ablaze
11. Epilogue: Survivors Post–Pearl Harbor
12. Acknowledgments
13. Notes
14. Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"This is a compelling work that reads quickly and provides important information about Kentuckians during World War II. Craig's use of interviews that he conducted enlivens the narrative and adds a great deal to this book. Kentuckians and Pearl Harbor will be of interest to general readers who want to know more about Bluegrass State residents' wartime experiences." — Stuart W. Sanders, author of Murder on the Ohio Belle

Editorial Reviews

This is a compelling work that reads quickly and provides important information about Kentuckians during World War II. Craig's use of interviews that he conducted enlivens the narrative and adds a great deal to this book. Kentuckians and Pearl Harbor will be of interest to general readers who want to know more about Bluegrass State residents' wartime experiences.

Stuart W. Sanders

"This is a compelling work that reads quickly and provides important information about Kentuckians during World War II. Craig's use of interviews that he conducted enlivens the narrative and adds a great deal to this book. Kentuckians and Pearl Harbor will be of interest to general readers who want to know more about Bluegrass State residents' wartime experiences." — Stuart W. Sanders, author of Murder on the Ohio Belle

From the Publisher