Pearl Harbor memories preserved at Berks museum
The Japanese pilot photographed is believed to be the first to bomb Pearl Harbor. In the photo, a column of water rises as a torpedo detonated near the USS West Virginia marks the beginning of a sustained aerial attack by some 350 warplanes that devastated the fleet and claimed the lives of 2,335 members of the military.
The late Ralph E. Ebersole was presented with a copy of the historic photo in the 1970s, when he represented the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a visit to Japan. Ebersole, who died earlier this year at age 94, had proudly displayed the photo in his apartment at Washington Towers in Reading.
Dr. Thomas Ebersole of Sinking Spring said his father was a radio operator at a naval outpost in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. While he was not at Pearl Harbor, the elder Ebersole cherished the historic photo. The last survivor of his Navy unit, Ebersole would become emotional when talking about the war.
“Sometimes, he would even cry in remembering his buddies who gave their lives in service to their country,” recalls Dr. Ebersole, 72, an obstetrics and gynecology specialist who practices in Wyomissing.
The Pearl Harbor photo, which remains in the family, stands as testament to the service Ralph Ebersole and others of his generation rendered to their country.
During an interview on the 77th anniversary in 2018, Ebersole noted the names of each of the American warships at Pearl Harbor was listed with the photograph, which ran in a Tokyo newspaper the day after the attack.
“Apparently they knew right where every one of our battleships was located,” he said.
The shocking attack, which stunned the nation and the world, catapulted America into World War II.
The following day, even as the Pacific Fleet lay in ruins, Roosevelt addressed Congress and asked for a declaration of war on Japan. His 10-minute speech was broadcast to the nation via radio.
In the “Infamy” speech, one of the most dramatic in American history, Roosevelt said in part: “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. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.”
The president requested and received near unanimous support of the House and Senate. Rep. Jeannette Rankin, a Republican pacifist from Montana, cast the lone dissenting vote.
Contact Ron Devlin: 610371-5030 or rdevlin@readingeagle.com.
The Japanese pilot photographed is believed to be the first to bomb Pearl Harbor. In the photo, a column of water rises as a torpedo detonated near the USS West Virginia marks the beginning of a sustained aerial attack by some 350 warplanes that devastated the fleet and claimed the lives of 2,335 members of the military.
The late Ralph E. Ebersole was presented with a copy of the historic photo in the 1970s, when he represented the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a visit to Japan. Ebersole, who died earlier this year at age 94, had proudly displayed the photo in his apartment at Washington Towers in Reading.
Dr. Thomas Ebersole of Sinking Spring said his father was a radio operator at a naval outpost in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. While he was not at Pearl Harbor, the elder Ebersole cherished the historic photo. The last survivor of his Navy unit, Ebersole would become emotional when talking about the war.
“Sometimes, he would even cry in remembering his buddies who gave their lives in service to their country,” recalls Dr. Ebersole, 72, an obstetrics and gynecology specialist who practices in Wyomissing.
The Pearl Harbor photo, which remains in the family, stands as testament to the service Ralph Ebersole and others of his generation rendered to their country.
During an interview on the 77th anniversary in 2018, Ebersole noted the names of each of the American warships at Pearl Harbor was listed with the photograph, which ran in a Tokyo newspaper the day after the attack.
“Apparently they knew right where every one of our battleships was located,” he said.
The shocking attack, which stunned the nation and the world, catapulted America into World War II.
The following day, even as the Pacific Fleet lay in ruins, Roosevelt addressed Congress and asked for a declaration of war on Japan. His 10-minute speech was broadcast to the nation via radio.
In the “Infamy” speech, one of the most dramatic in American history, Roosevelt said in part: “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. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.”
The president requested and received near unanimous support of the House and Senate. Rep. Jeannette Rankin, a Republican pacifist from Montana, cast the lone dissenting vote.
Contact Ron Devlin: 610371-5030 or rdevlin@readingeagle.com.
The Japanese pilot photographed is believed to be the first to bomb Pearl Harbor. In the photo, a column of water rises as a torpedo detonated near the USS West Virginia marks the beginning of a sustained aerial attack by some 350 warplanes that devastated the fleet and claimed the lives of 2,335 members of the military.
The late Ralph E. Ebersole was presented with a copy of the historic photo in the 1970s, when he represented the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a visit to Japan. Ebersole, who died earlier this year at age 94, had proudly displayed the photo in his apartment at Washington Towers in Reading.
Dr. Thomas Ebersole of Sinking Spring said his father was a radio operator at a naval outpost in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. While he was not at Pearl Harbor, the elder Ebersole cherished the historic photo. The last survivor of his Navy unit, Ebersole would become emotional when talking about the war.
“Sometimes, he would even cry in remembering his buddies who gave their lives in service to their country,” recalls Dr. Ebersole, 72, an obstetrics and gynecology specialist who practices in Wyomissing.
The Pearl Harbor photo, which remains in the family, stands as testament to the service Ralph Ebersole and others of his generation rendered to their country.
During an interview on the 77th anniversary in 2018, Ebersole noted the names of each of the American warships at Pearl Harbor was listed with the photograph, which ran in a Tokyo newspaper the day after the attack.
“Apparently they knew right where every one of our battleships was located,” he said.
The shocking attack, which stunned the nation and the world, catapulted America into World War II.
The following day, even as the Pacific Fleet lay in ruins, Roosevelt addressed Congress and asked for a declaration of war on Japan. His 10-minute speech was broadcast to the nation via radio.
In the “Infamy” speech, one of the most dramatic in American history, Roosevelt said in part: “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. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.”
The president requested and received near unanimous support of the House and Senate. Rep. Jeannette Rankin, a Republican pacifist from Montana, cast the lone dissenting vote.
Contact Ron Devlin: 610371-5030 or rdevlin@readingeagle.com.
The Japanese pilot photographed is believed to be the first to bomb Pearl Harbor. In the photo, a column of water rises as a torpedo detonated near the USS West Virginia marks the beginning of a sustained aerial attack by some 350 warplanes that devastated the fleet and claimed the lives of 2,335 members of the military.
The late Ralph E. Ebersole was presented with a copy of the historic photo in the 1970s, when he represented the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a visit to Japan. Ebersole, who died earlier this year at age 94, had proudly displayed the photo in his apartment at Washington Towers in Reading.
Dr. Thomas Ebersole of Sinking Spring said his father was a radio operator at a naval outpost in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. While he was not at Pearl Harbor, the elder Ebersole cherished the historic photo. The last survivor of his Navy unit, Ebersole would become emotional when talking about the war.
“Sometimes, he would even cry in remembering his buddies who gave their lives in service to their country,” recalls Dr. Ebersole, 72, an obstetrics and gynecology specialist who practices in Wyomissing.
The Pearl Harbor photo, which remains in the family, stands as testament to the service Ralph Ebersole and others of his generation rendered to their country.
During an interview on the 77th anniversary in 2018, Ebersole noted the names of each of the American warships at Pearl Harbor was listed with the photograph, which ran in a Tokyo newspaper the day after the attack.
“Apparently they knew right where every one of our battleships was located,” he said.
The shocking attack, which stunned the nation and the world, catapulted America into World War II.
The following day, even as the Pacific Fleet lay in ruins, Roosevelt addressed Congress and asked for a declaration of war on Japan. His 10-minute speech was broadcast to the nation via radio.
In the “Infamy” speech, one of the most dramatic in American history, Roosevelt said in part: “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. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.”
The president requested and received near unanimous support of the House and Senate. Rep. Jeannette Rankin, a Republican pacifist from Montana, cast the lone dissenting vote.