TO: ALL 25TH INFANTRY DIVISION VETERANS OF DECEMBER 7, 1941
The first campaign of WW II for the 25th Infantry Division was the Central Pacific Campaign of 1941-1943. This campaign started with the Japanese attack on Schofield Barracks on December 7, 1941. Available historical reports furnish few details as to the specific actions taken by the subordinate units of the 25th Division during the attack.
The Association is undertaking a historical research project to provide as complete a description as possible of the attack on the 25th Infantry Division using both official records and eyewitness accounts. In this regard, we have prepared a survey that addresses specific aspects of the attack. The survey will also encourage veterans of the attack to add in their own words anything they may desire concerning the attack as well as the subsequent defense of Oahu and the preparation for the Guadalcanal campaign.
Letters with the survey enclosed have been mailed to Association members that our records indicated might have been serving with the 25th on December 7, 1941. But we may very well have missed some members who were there. Consequently we have posted a copy of the survey on our website which can be printed out, filled in, and mailed to the Association.
If you were serving with the 25th on December 7, 1941 we urge you to contribute to this historical research project. We need your eyewitness account. If you have pictures, diaries, or letters concerning the attack we would encourage you to share their contents with us. When finalized the project will be published in Flashes and on our web site.
In the future we plan to solicit and compile for publication inputs from 25th veterans on aspects of their experiences in the Guadalcanal, Northern Solomons and Luzon campaigns.
Sincerely,
John G. Keliher
Historian
25th Infantry Division Association