Pearl Harbor by Jennifer Swanson

Author:Jennifer Swanson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2018-08-17T16:00:00+00:00

A newspaper headline from the day after the attack

Under martial law, the military controlled every part of daily life in Hawaii. School was immediately canceled, and some school buildings were turned into military hospitals. Students had no idea when classes would start again—if at all. This break from school wasn’t like a vacation. Christmas was a few weeks away, but war loomed over the holiday. The ship that was bringing Christmas trees from the mainland turned around after the Japanese attack, so the trees were never delivered. Mandatory blackouts meant shops and homes couldn’t display holiday lights.

The military told businesses when they could open and when they had to close. Movie theaters had only two showtimes: noon and 2:00 p.m. Restaurants stopped serving at 4:00 p.m. so workers and customers could get home before the 6:30 curfew. As more and more military people came to Hawaii, there were long lines at restaurants and shops, and public transportation was crowded. People had to plan extra time for their normal, everyday activities. They also had to know where to find a public bomb shelter in case of another attack or an air raid drill. An air raid drill was practice—in case of another attack. When people heard sirens wailing, they ran for shelter. Some ran to a bomb shelter, or to a bunker that gave them shelter. At home, every civilian had a bunker in their yard. Digging a shelter in the ground was another rule of martial law. Everyone had to have a safe place to go if there was an attack.

All communication was censored, which meant it was reviewed and sometimes changed. The military took over newspapers, magazines, and radio broadcasts to ensure that only approved information was shared. They controlled the telephone company and monitored calls. The military was afraid that people on the islands might accidentally share information that would help Japan plan another attack. That meant no one was allowed to talk about the weather or discuss anything about the construction or repairs taking place on the islands—especially at Pearl Harbor. Mail was censored, too. That meant that every letter going out of or coming into Hawaii was opened and read—and sometimes changed—before it was delivered.

A few weeks after Pearl Harbor was bombed, everyone in Hawaii over the age of six had to be fingerprinted and carry an identification card. If there was an emergency, people could be properly identified. The military also ordered citizens to carry a gas mask at all times in case the Japanese attacked the islands with poisonous gas. Joan Rodby, who was ten years old at the time, remembers getting her large, uncomfortable gas mask. When her school finally reopened in February 1942, Joan had to take her gas mask with her to her classes. Her school had drills to see how fast the students could put them on. If the air raid siren went off, they needed to have the gas masks on immediately. Breathing poisonous gas, even for a few seconds, would be deadly.

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