CBS Film Crew Disrespects Pearl Harbor Veterans

Over seven decades ago over 2,400 young men died in Pearl Harbor as the United States was catapulted into World War II.  On Friday last week, a group of Pearl Harbor veterans funded by the Greatest Generations Foundation visited the National Cemetery in Honolulu, Hawaii to honor their comrades who fell defending our freedom.

According to the GGF website: “The 70th anniversary of the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor is expected to be the largest and final commemoration involving living Pearl Harbor Survivors, due to the advancing age of the veterans….The Pearl Harbor Survivors will visit the USS Arizona Memorial as well as the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific to pay tribute to those who perished in the Japanese attacks.

Pearl Harbor Survivor Paul Kennedy served in the US Navy aboard the gun boat USS Sacramento. On the morning of December 7, 1941, Kennedy woke to the blaring alarm, but figured it was just another drill. Then his friend shook him awake, screaming, ‘Come on, Paul! The Japs are bombing the hell out of us. Get your gas mask and your helmet. Get to your battle station!’

Scrambling above deck, Kennedy observed the blue skies filled with Japanese planes. A torpedo plane flew twenty feet above his head, turning ominously toward the battleship USS Oklahoma. Kennedy witnessed the torpedo drop and propel into the Oklahoma, causing the battleship to rocket into the air.

‘There were three men on the side of the Oklahoma that were standing right above where the torpedo hit,’ he said. ‘They went flying up in the air like rag dolls, and back down into the water…dead.’

‘I saw guys in the water swimming for their life,’ said Kennedy. ‘Black oil poured into the bay, coating the water with six inches of oil. The top of the water was on fire from all the burning oil. There were 45-50 guys in their white uniforms floating face down in the water, their white uniforms covered in red blood and dark black oil. Some of their bodies were burning. Motor boats would go get a boatload of dead men, and some live guys, and these Jap planes would come down and strafe them. Absolutely defenseless. That still bothers me today.’

Despite his horrifying experiences during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Kennedy embodies the timeless spirit of American patriotism and dedication to the preservation of freedom.

‘If I had to do it all over again, I would in a heartbeat,’ he said. ‘It was my duty and an absolute privilege. I’m an American, and I love my country. I’ll do whatever it takes to defend it.'”

During the solemn ceremony to honor those so horrifically killed, however, a film crew from CBS’ Hawaii Five-O did not completely cease its activities, and shooed those veterans attempting to honor the fallen away, standing on graves in order to film their show.

The executive producer of the show Peter Lenkov apologized in a statement, saying any rudeness could be attributed to their haste to end filming for the day.   Ironically and sadly, while filming an actor showing respect to the dead, this crew wouldn’t spare an hour to take the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show their respect for the men who fought so bravely and endured so much to ensure America’s freedom.

TGGF’s Battlefield Remembrance program, according to their website, provides veterans with journeys to former battle sites to give them the opportunity for healing and closure and an avenue to educate younger generations about service and sacrifice.TGGF’s mission is to preserve each veteran’s story of his or her heroic involvement in WWII, guaranteeing that their legacies are never forgotten. TGGF works to ensure that the value of their deeds never be allowed to disappear.