December 8th 2024.
Earl "Chuck" Kohler, a 100-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor, vividly remembers the morning of December 7th, 1941. At the young age of 17, he was a Seaman 1st Class stationed at Ford Island base in the center of Pearl Harbor. As the bombs and machine gun bullets rained down on him, he bravely charged across the island, determined to defend his country. With adrenaline pumping through his veins, he grabbed a .50 caliber machine gun, hopped into an aircraft, and started firing into the sky.
Now, as a resident of Concord, Kohler remains a fixture at the annual beacon lighting to honor those who lost their lives in the surprise attack that thrust the U.S. into the second World War. As he stated in a recent press release, "the Beacon lighting is a tribute to those individuals that lost their lives at Pearl Harbor."
The beacon, which was installed in the late 1920s to assist transcontinental aviation, holds a special significance for Kohler. During World War II, in order to prevent enemy submarines from using it as a navigational aid, the system was deactivated. It wasn't until 1964, at the suggestion of retired Admiral Chester Nimitz, that the beacon was reignited on Pearl Harbor Day for one night only.
On National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in 2024, Kohler, now 100 years old, had the honor of flipping the switch to illuminate the Mount Diablo Beacon during a ceremony in Concord. He is one of only 16 known American military survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack, a testament to his bravery and resilience.
As the beacon atop Mount Diablo glowed in remembrance, an overflow crowd gathered at California State University, East Bay's Concord Campus to listen to speeches and pay their respects. Among the speakers was Kathleen Farley, the California state chair of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors. She spoke about the 87,000 military personnel who were on Oahu on the day of the attack, and how there are now only 16 known survivors still living.
Amidst the solemnity and reflection, Kohler arrived to flip the switch and illuminate the beacon once again. His presence and actions serve as a reminder of the bravery and sacrifice of all those who were at Pearl Harbor on that fateful day. As we honor their memory on National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, may we never forget the impact of their service and the lessons learned from that tragic event.
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