Get Talking

Ask students: What are some different ways to learn about history?

Background

* President Franklin D. Roosevelt called Dec. 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy." The Sunday morning attack on Pearl Harbor, part of Oahu, Hawaii, drew the country into

World War II. Prior to that, the U.S. government had an isolationist policy. The USS Arizona, one of the ships sunk in Pearl Harbor, is now a memorial and a burial chamber for 1,102 of the sailors who had been aboard. Learn more about the attack at www.nps.gov/usar.

* The 1968 Democratic National Convention opened in Chicago as the antiwar movement was rising and shortly after the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. Protests, including clashes with police, went on for five days in August. Read more in "Words in the News" on page 2 and listen to another account at tinyurl.com/yyqoqq.

* Apollo 13 was to be the third U.S. mission to the moon. After an oxygen tank exploded aboard the spacecraft on April 13, 1970, the astronauts had to improvise. They used the sun for navigation and the lunar lander's propulsion system to move the spacecraft onto a course to return to Earth. The Apollo 13 capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 17. Learn more at tinyurl.eom/yywud3.

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Doing More

Encourage students to talk to their parents and other adults about historic events that they witnessed. Have each student interview one person and write a Q&A article.

Contest Winners

History is more than facts trapped in dusty old books. It is a flood of human stories bubbling with emotion, lust ask someone who was there. That's what the winners of this year's Eyewitness to History contest did. Read on to learn how it felt to watch Japanese planes attacking Pearl Harbor, hear protesters chanting outside the Democratic National Convention, and be stranded in space on Apollo 13.

Attack on Pearl Harbor

BY RACHEL PFAFF, South Park

Middle School, South Park, Pa.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese war planes swept out of the sky over Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The U.S. Pacific Fleet, unaware of the approaching danger, was a row of sitting ducks. Sailors scrambled to fight off the bombers, but they were too late. By the time the attack was over, more than 2,400 Americans were dead and the United States had been dragged into World War II. Mike Ostanoski, a friend of Rachel Pfaff's grandfather, was there when the bombing began.

Q: How old were you when you went into the Army?

A: I was 17. My parents had to sign permission for me to join since I wasn't 18 years old, and the principal of my school had to say that I was "of good character." ... I joined in 1959 and chose to serve in Hawaii.

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Q: What happened after you went into the service?

A: On September 1, 1939, newspapers read "Extra! Extra!" because Germany had invaded Poland and World War II was beginning.

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Q: What happened while you were in Hawaii?

A: I was there for two years, and I was due to go home on December 13, 1941. I had written a letter home to my parents and told them they didn't need to respond since I was leaving in six days. But on December 7, 1941, we were bombed.

I had just got done eating breakfast when I heard the bombs exploding. I thought it was just some type of practice drill. We ran outside and saw the planes coming towards us. I was still unsure of what was going on, and then I saw flames shooting out of a [Japanese] airplane. They destroyed the planes at our base, and I heard the sirens blaring. We jumped into a jeep and were going past Battleship Row. Ship after ship was on fire. Everything was on fire. Thick, black smoke was everywhere. Men were in the water trying to get away from the flames; it was terrible.

Q: What went through your mind?

A: Just get out of there and make it out alive.... I watched in horror as many of my friends were killed beside me. I couldn't believe all of the black smoke coming from the ships and gasoline that was on fire.

Q: Where did you go after that?

A: We went to Barber's Point [a naval air station in Hawaii], and four months later, we went to Guadalcanal. There, I was wounded in the leg.... I was sent to the hospital for three months. They cut open my leg, cleaned it out, and sewed me back up.... Unfortunately, many of my friends were injured as well. One of my friends' leg had to be cut off. Others were killed.

Q: You were sent to the Philippines next. What happened there?

A: The only thing I remember was I lost one of my best friends. His name was Sergeant Valentine, and he was from Kentucky. We were very close during the whole experience in the service. He died right next to me.

Rachel: I learned that many people died tragically that day. The ones lucky enough to survive are sometimes still haunted by horrific memories. They were forced into World War II and proudly defended their country. But they continued their lives knowing the world would never be the same.

Speaking Truth To Power

BY JOEY DWYER, Nichols Middle

School, Evanston, Ill.

In the summer of 1968, frustration over the Vietnam War erupted in the streets of Chicago. The Democratic Party held its national convention there in August to choose a candidate for president. While the politicians met indoors, antiwar protesters swarmed the streets outside, often clashing with police armed with tear gas and clubs. David Dwyer was a 16-year-old living in the suburb of Oak Park at the time. His son Joey Dwyer interviewed him about the protests and how his feelings toward the government changed.

Q: What was the attitude toward the Vietnam War before the 1968 convention?

A: I was going to school at Oak Park High School. The general attitude was prowar. The kids I went to school with had parents who felt that the purpose of the war was to stop communism. The kids pretty much reflected their parents' views on this without further examination.

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Q: How did you get involved in the antiwar movement?

A: One of my closest friends, who was about four years older than I was, got in trouble and wound up serving [in the military]. He had gotten in trouble with the Oak Park police and was given a choice to join the infantry or go to a detention home. He chose the Army. This kind of process was not unusual then. Many times, if kids got in trouble in school or around town, they were given that choice. So he went into the Army when I was 14 and returned when I was almost 16 and stayed at our house. He spent a lot of time explaining to me just what seemed to be going on over there.... He convinced me that the [antiwar] movement was the right thing to do.

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Q: During the convention, where were you? What was the attitude?

A: I went with classmates from the underground antiwar movement. ... It was our goal to bring the antiwar movement out of the underground and into the open.... We took the el [elevated train] downtown and just kind of walked all over the downtown area.... It was very energetic and generally very aggressive on the part of the protesters and the police and the National Guard. The general feeling was that there was going to be a confrontation or maybe a hundred confrontations.

Q: What do you think people who were watching on TV thought?

A: Most of the TV cameras that I saw were in front of the Conrad Hilton hotel and the crowd of protesters, of which there were hundreds at any given time, repeatedly chanting, "The whole world is watching!" They also chanted, "Hey, hey, LBJ [President Lyndon B. Johnson], how many kids did you kill today?" And the other prevailing chant was "Dump the Hump!" This was about Hubert Humphrey, who was campaigning to be the Democratic candidate for president, and he was generally in support of the war.

Q: Did anyone's opinion change after seeing the riots?

A: Public opinion in our community and my school began to change dramatically after those events. While the majority still supported the war, an increasing minority began to question the government's position and the reality of the communist threat.

Q: What did you learn?

A: I learned that a committed minority can prevail over a weak majority. I learned that the media has a tremendous effect on public opinion.... My generation gave up before the revolution was even started. It needs to be started over again. Now. Otherwise, we will certainly lose our country and most everything good about it.

Joey: After hearing my dad's story, I learned that you should always have your own opinions, not only about war but about everything. You shouldn't just agree with what everyone else thinks. Also, I learned that before expressing your beliefs, you should know what you are talking about.

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Moon Shot That Missed

BY JASMINE STEIN, Timothy

Christian Middle School,

Elmhurst, Ill.

"Houston, we've had a problem." Those five words spoken by Apollo 13 Commander James Lovell on April 13, 1970, marked the beginning of one of history's greatest adventures. What started as a mission to the moon turned into a fight to bring the Apollo 13 crew back to Earth alive. An explosion stranded the spacecraft 200,000 miles from home with dwindling power. Jasmine Stein interviewed Lovell about the Apollo 13 crisis and how the crew and scientists at NASA's Mission Control in Houston found a solution.

Q: How did Earth look from space?

A: Earth from the moon looks like a bright blue Christmas tree ornament hung in an absolutely black sky. You can hide it completely behind your thumb. You can see the blue of the oceans, the white cloud masses, and the ice caps.... From the moon, Earth looks a little bigger than the moon looks from Earth.

Q: Did you feel adequately prepared when your mission was moved up?

A: Since I had flown to the moon on Apollo 8, and was backup to Neil Armstrong on Apollo 11, I thought being assigned Apollo 13 instead of the later mission, Apollo 14, was not a problem. We were prepared.

Q: What was the first thing that went through your mind when you heard the explosion?

A: The Apollo 13 crew thought a meteor hit the spacecraft.

Q: What were your last thoughts as you were reentering Earth's atmosphere? Were you afraid?

A: Although the chance of survival seemed slight just after the explosion--about a 10 percent chance--we never thought about dying. We were all optimistic, and as the flight progressed, our chances of survival kept increasing.... When we entered the atmosphere, I thought our chances of a successful landing were good. I was not afraid.

Q: If you could describe the mission in one word, what would it be?

A: Lucky!

Q: How did your experience on Apollo 13 affect your view of life after you returned safety to Earth?

A: I do not worry about crises now. I live one day at a time.

Q: The crew played jokes on each other. What was the funniest joke any of you played?

A: Before the explosion, Fred Haise used to turn the repress valve, which gave a large bang. It scared Jack (Swigert) and me into thinking we had been hit by a meteor. Of course, when the explosion occurred, we though Fred was playing his game again.

Q: How did you stay calm and then lead and encourage your crew?

A: When you are in trouble like the crew of Apollo 13, the commander has to be a leader to encourage the crew by example. He has to be optimistic and use everything in his command to solve each crisis as it occurs.

Q: Was the 1995 movie Apollo 13 accurate?

A: It was very authentic.

Q: Do you ever look up at the moon and wonder how your life would have been different if you had walked on the moon?

A: Never look back.

Jasmine: I feel honored to have interviewed such an important man. I learned a lot from him. He managed to be a leader and keep his cool even though there was a significant possibility that he and his crew could have been lost in space.

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Contest Runners-up

Honorable mention in the 2008 Eyewitness to History contest goes to:

* Alyssa Mendes, Leonard Middle School, Fort Worth, Texas

* Jamie Stein, South Park Middle School, South Park, Pa.

* Josie Jones, Kenai Middle School, Anchorage, Alaska