Remembering Pearl Harbor

A wise man once said, "Those who forget the past are destined to repeat it," a variation of the thought that says, "The only thing we learn from history is that we don’t learn from history." World War II veterans are dying at a rate of 1,200 hundred each day, and Pearl Harbor anniversaries slip past with less attention. In fact, Jessica Maccaro, a historian at the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress American Folklife Center says, "We’re operating with a certain sense of urgency… These are stories that are disappearing at the rate of 1,000 at a time. It’s that impetus, to get these experiences preserved and shared and told before we miss that opportunity." Of the more than 16 million Americans who served in World War II, only about 3 million are left, most in their 80s.

One story that seems to be recalled only in Christian blogs, programs and publications is the miraculous account of God’s amazing grace stretching from Pearl Harbor to Japan.

In the morning hours of December 7, 1941, Japanese air ace Captain Mitsuo Fuchida ordered his torpedo bombers to devastate the American Pacific Fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. When he and the others flew away, US ships lay capsized, sunk or damaged, and 2,117 US servicemen died. Although he suffered broken legs and inspected the ashes of Hiroshima, Fuchida was the only attacking officer to survive the war.

President Franklin Roosevelt reacted to the "Day of Infamy" as he called it by urging Congress to declare war the next day. Soon after, he called General Jimmy Doolitle from retirement to organize a surprise attack on Japan. On April 18, 1942, 16 B-25s were to launch from the aircraft carrier the USS Hornet, bomb select Japanese targets, and fly into friendly China and be available for future service. But their secrecy was blown by a surprise discovery by a Japanese boat, and Doolittle had to launch his planes early. They accomplished their mission and Japan’s confidence in their military was shaken, but the planes were terribly out of sync with the flight plan, and they arrived over China in the dark. All the US planes were either lost at sea or over China as crews bailed out.

Jacob DeShazer, a nominal Christian, was bombardier on plane #16. He parachuted into a cemetery in an area of China controlled by Japan. He was captured, interrogated in Tokyo and imprisoned for 40 months. Tortured and losing three friends to execution, DeShazer’s hatred grew until the Emperor ordered better treatment of the POWs and they were given a Bible. Their captors thought it portrayed Christ as a weakling and that reading the book would demoralize the men. DeShazer came to see Christ as the loving and forgiving Savior and was marvelously born again. Transformed, his hatred turned to love, and he vowed that if ever freed, he’d return to Japan as a missionary, which he did in 1948.

After the war, General MacArthur’s plea for Christian missionaries to fill the spiritual void was answered by many. Because Jake DeShazer’s story was so unique, print versions were distributed. In a Tokyo rail station, Mitsuo Fuchida happened by and, curious about DeShazer, read the story. He obtained a Bible and believed in Christ as his Savior.

At that time DeShazer, who was starting many new Christian churches, went on a 40-day fast to experience even more impact for the Lord. The day after the fast ended, Fuchida came to introduce himself and publicly profess Christ. Both men appeared together before amazed Japanese audiences to share Christ.

Fuchida later traveled widely with Pocket Testament League in the US and Europe. He once said that if he had known Christ before Pearl Harbor, he could never have led the attack on innocent Americans. Fuchida went to be with the Lord on May 30, 1976.

In 1986, General Doolittle received Christ through the ministry of the Gideons, standing to accept the Lord as the visiting Gideons sang "Amazing Grace." He went to Heaven in 1993 at age 96. DeShazer still lives in Oregon, one of the few remaining of the original 80 Doolittle Raiders.

We remember Pearl Harbor, but there is a better pearl in Scripture whose redemption price and purchased possession is especially focused on December 7 and December 25. "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it"(Matthew 13:45 & 46). I believe that we are the pearl of great price that Christ came to seek and save.

The old song says, "He the pearly gates will open, so that I might enter in, For He purchased my redemption, and forgave me all my sin," no doubt a reference to the New Jerusalem of Revelation 21:21: "The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass."

Heaven is the everlasting Pearl Harbor. I hope I’ll meet you there along with Mitsuo Fuchida, Jacob DeShazer and Jimmy Doolittle.

David Virkler