From the July 2007 issue: Two Letters Frame the Moment Paradise Lost Its Innocence

“There is a pineapple field right outside our window,” twenty-four-year-old Guy Bair wrote in an October 17, 1941, letter to his mother, describing a lush island oasis of palm trees, tropical flowers, and cloud-encircled mountains. Bair was working in Honolulu, Hawaii, with the Civilian Construction Corps to help build, in his words, “a fuel base for the entire Pacific fleet.” His letter went on to detail leisurely days of swimming at the beach, soaking in the abundant sunshine, and attending a luau. But some of his words foreshadowed a change soon to come to the idyllic setting. “According to the papers here, our relations with Japan are very strained,” he noted. “But Japan hasn’t a chance,” Bair went on to write:

She must take the Phillipines first, then there’s five or six outlying islands between here and the Phillipines—all naval bases and fortified before she gets here. Then this island takes no chances. The island is really fortified. You can see giant search lights searching the sky all night (just practice of course). I guess there are anti-aircraft guns there too, but you could never find them. We have a black out about once a week….

My opinion would be that we will have no trouble with Japan unless she strikes Russia in the back. That seems to be the general opinion. So just don’t pass any of this on as you know how gossip grows.

They have given us no instructions about writing information but you can’t tell. We have been finger printed about 10 different times and have had to fill out about four different questionnaires of our personal history, to the time we were born and also that of our parents and all of our relation. So if any one should ask, you and dad were English. I don’t know what I am so I just put English which is correct in your case. Anyhow I don’t think its any of their damned business as long as I am an American, but they want to be sure.

I must go to work now so will close.

Aloha

Guy

At the very time that Bair was writing home, Vice Adm. Chuichi Nagumo of the Imperial Japanese Navy was preparing his carrier battle group to embark for Pearl Harbor. On December 7, the main Japanese air strike came just before 8 a.m. Hawaii time, leaving more than 2,400 American service members (as well as an estimated 50 civilians, including one infant) dead and more than 1,170 wounded. Sixty-four Japanese troops were killed and one was captured. Five days after the attack, Bair wrote the following:

Dearest Mother,

I haven’t received a letter from you for quite some time, but I’m writing you a note anyway.
As you probably know by now, we had quite a bit of excitement Sunday morning. The main object of the bombing was the Harbor. It is just a short distance from camp so we all had a ring side seat. I was asleep when the first attack came. The anti-aircraft shells awakened me. I just said, “The damned navy practicing again.” and went back to sleep. They sounded rather close tho and shook the buildings when they went off. Pretty soon my roommate came in and said, “Are you going to sleep all day? They’re bombing the Harbor.”

I said “Don’t give me that B.S. That’s just practice.”

He said “Practice Hell! They’ve blown up some of the ships.”

I still wouldn’t believe it. I got up and stepped out on the porch to see. Several fires were burning, planes were flying overhead and the anti-A shells were bursting in air. I still wouldn’t believe it. I came in and turned on the radio. The excitement and fright in the announcer’s voice assured me that it was the real thing.

Then he announced “The island of Oahu is under enemy attack. Be calm! Everything is under control.”

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