Pearl Harbor (Oct 1941)
On December 7, 1941, our asbestos client Samuel Lum was an apprentice shipfitter learning to do structural repairs on ships. Since it was Sunday, the 21 year old Lum slept in and awoke to his neighbors making a racket. He looked toward town and saw puffs of smoke, so he turned on the family’s radio and quickly learned that Pearl Harbor had been attacked.
By noon, radio announcements were instructing all shipyard workers to report to work. Mr. Lum recalls dutifully arriving at Pearl Harbor amid firing still going on and enemy aircraft flying around. Today at age 89, Lum vividly recounts seeing the USS Arizona smoking and listing as it was about to sink. Other ships were burning, and Lum witnessed a ship being hit by torpedo. In the shop where Lum was assigned to work, he could still hear bursts of machine gun fire throughout the day.
Because of the extensive damage to the ships in port and the stepped up war efforts, Pearl Harbor became a strategic location for ship repair and overhaul during World War II. Samuel Lum continued his work as a ship fitter and was exposed to asbestos insulating products as he carried out his work. Lum remembers, “Asbestos was an excellent insulating material. We had no way of knowing that it was disastrous to the human body.” But Lum and hundreds of others who worked at Pearl Harbor Shipyard were exposed to this deadly material as they supported the war effort and worked on many classes of Navy ships.
The 68th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor
This is the 68th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, “the date which will live in infamy,” as President Roosevelt declared to Congress in 1941. Today we celebrate the heroes of that day, the U.S. Navy sailors, Marines and Army soldiers at Pearl Harbor Naval Air Station, Hickam Air Force Base, and Schofield Barracks who were the direct target of the Japanese Imperial Navy assault. Activities taking place at Pearl Harbor on Monday, December 7, 2009 include a joint memorial service at Naval Station Pearl Harbor’s Kilo Pier from 7:40 to 9:30 a.m. At 7:55 a.m. at the exact moment the Japanese attack began 68 years ago, a moment of silence will be observed. USS Lake Erie (CG 70) will render honors to the USS Arizona and military aircraft will fly over the memorial.
But the unsung heroes were the civilian Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard workers. They were not only called to work on that fateful Sunday to rescue the damaged ships, but also to work for years after to help rebuild the US Navy for the war effort. This work exposed them on a daily basis to dangerous asbestos dust and put them at risk for mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other asbestos related diseases.
Galiher DeRobertis Ono has represented sailors who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor and shipyard workers who were strafed by the enemy planes either at Pearl Harbor or on their way to the shipyard. We have also represented shipyard workers who continued these efforts to build the U.S. Navy and protect our country.
On this 68th anniversary commemorating Pearl Harbor Day, Galiher DeRobertis Ono salutes and honors all Navy veterans and civilian shipyard workers who gave their all to protect our country and our people. Gary Galiher expressed his appreciation, “Our firm has been honored to represent these brave veterans and shipyard workers. Each has made a significant sacrifice and contribution to our country.”
