Similar the the air raid sirens of previous eras this will allow citizens the greatest opportunity to prepare for an attack
HONOLULU — Ted Tsukiyama still recalls how quickly life changed when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
“It was quite traumatic and totally unexpected,” said the 96-year-old World War II veteran, who was a student at the University of Hawaii at the time. “That morning the radio called for all University ROTC [Reserved Officers’ Training Corps] to report to the university armory. We were issued rifles to help guard the city and our regiment was converted into the Hawaii Territorial Guard.”
Sirens were installed around the city after the war started, Tsukiyama added, and there would be periodic tests. “I remember hearing the sirens going off. The radio would give us a warning: ‘This is only a test, don’t get alarmed,’” said Tsukiyama, who was born and raised in Hawaii.
Along with other Nisei [second-generation Japanese Americans], he joined the Varsity Victory Volunteers and the U.S. Army’s 442nd Regimental Combat Team, then was reassigned to the Military Intelligence Service in India and Burma. (One of the characters in the new movie, “Go For Broke,” is based on Tsukiyama’s life and he also made a cameo appearance in the film.)
These days, Tsukiyama says he isn’t surprised the air raid warning sirens will be wailing again come December — only this time, it’s due to the rising tensions between the U.S. and North Korea and because Hawaii has long been a military defense outpost.
“I suppose that’s necessary as a precaution, but I don’t think North Korea is gonna attack,” Tsukiyama said. “They’d be foolish to threaten South Korea or Japan or the United States.”
But concerns are growing. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has repeatedly threatened to drop a bomb over the Pacific Ocean, and President Donald Trump has threatened North Korea with “fire and fury” and designated North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism.
So what is the probability of a North Korean missile striking Hawaii? According to Vern Miyagi, administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA), which is part of the state’s Department of Defense, the chances North Korea will act are unlikely, but making sure Hawaii is prepared is still vital.
“If North Korea launches against us or our allies, the retaliation would be complete and they would defeat North Korea’s ambition to continue its regime. The regime would probably end,” explained Miyagi. He notes Hawaii is protected under the U.S. Pacific Command’s defensive umbrella, the anti-ballistic missile system, and it is home to the Pacific Command, the military’s headquarters for the Asia-Pacific region.
But, Miyagi points out, “Hawaii is a likely target because we’re closer to North Korea than most of the continental United States… As we track the news and see tests, both missile launches and nuclear tests, it’s the elephant in the room. We can’t ignore it. People of Hawaii need to know what Hawaii is doing in preparation for this.”
Because of the North Korean threat, the Aloha State is currently ramping up efforts to educate its 1.4 million residents, as well as its visitors, on how to prepare for a nuclear attack.
Hawaii has become one of the first states in the nation to initiate a nuclear preparedness campaign, and starting Dec. 1, it will reinstate the “attack warning” siren, which it hasn’t tested since the Cold War. The siren will follow the monthly “attention alert” signal, which warns people of an incoming tsunami or hurricane.
The state has also been holding community meetings and broadcasting public service announcements on TV and the radio to prepare people for…