ABOVE: US Army Private Joe Lockhard at his radar station. Photo courtesy of US Army. BELOW: A view of the Opana Radar Station in northeast Oahu, where George Elliot and Joe Lockard were practicing using radar when the Japanese attacked. Photo courtesy of the National World War II Museum.
Five soldiers knew about the Pearl Harbor attack before it happened because of a newly-established Signal Aircraft Warning program.
On December 7, 1941, U.S. Army Private Joe Lockard shouldn’t have been teaching George Elliot to use the brand new technology called “radar” because it was technically after hours on an early Sunday morning. Amazingly, the apprentice Elliot correctly picked up a group of planes coming from the east. Lockard called the information center. Joe McDonald answered his call and passed the information onto the lieutenant in charge who dismissed it because he was expecting American planes. However, the lieutenant should have known that American planes would have been coming from the west.
Whether they could rallied the battleships and sitting-duck airplanes in that amount of time will never be known, but a warning is a warning.
The most infamous attack on America might not have been as bad if the most infamous ignoring of a warning had not occurred. The Army did the right thing in setting up the Signal Aircraft Warning program. But concept and follow through are two different things.
PORTAL TO HEAVEN: The Holy Spirit is our early detection center. If we ignore the slightest movement of sin toward the center of our hearts, we might be in for a surprise attack that could dearly cost us and our loved ones and the further temptation to live in a lifetime of regret.
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:13-15
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