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Grandsons of Pearl Harbor Scapegoat Seek to Restore His Rank, Tell the "Full Story"

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941. A small boat rescues a seaman from the 31,800 ton USS West Virginia burning in the foreground. Smoke rolling out amidships shows where the most extensive damage occurred. Note the two men in the superstructure.
Library of Congress/U.S. Navy, Office of Public Relations, Washington.
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941. A small boat rescues a seaman from the 31,800 ton USS West Virginia burning in the foreground. Smoke rolling out amidships shows where the most extensive damage occurred. Note the two men in the superstructure.

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 brought the United States into World War II.  The Commander in Chief of the U.S. Fleet, Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, was blamed for the defeat, demoted for dereliction of duty and forced into retirement, along with his army counterpart, Gen. Walter Short.  In 1944, the first of 10 investigations and hearings into the Pearl Harbor defeat effectively exonerated Kimmel, but his rank was not restored because the war was on.   

75 years later, the rank has yet to be restored, and Kimmel’s grandsons are following their father’s efforts to correct this stain on their grandfather’s name.  Manning Kimmel of Rock Hill says even after Congress approved the rank restoration, the Navy and War departments have met their appeals with silence.  Two historians have produced a new book, “A Matter of Honor,” which provides new information about the Pearl Harbor attack and its effects on Kimmel and Short in the years since the war.  Manning Kimmel and his cousin Tom Kimmel say that over and above the restoration of rank for Short and their grandfather, they want the public to know the full story of Pearl Harbor.  

Tut Underwood is producer of South Carolina Focus, a weekly news feature. A native of Alabama, Tut graduated from Auburn University with a BA in Speech Communication. He worked in radio in his hometown before moving to Columbia where he received a Master of Mass Communications degree from the University of South Carolina, and worked for local radio while pursuing his degree. He also worked in television. He was employed as a public information specialist for USC, and became Director of Public Information and Marketing for the South Carolina State Museum. His hobbies include reading, listening to music in a variety of styles and collecting movies and old time radio programs.