Expressions of Faith
Finding comfort after Pearl Harbor
By David Kraul
The movie "Pearl Harbor" and the surrounding news coverage have put the survivors of the attack in the public eye, reminding us that those who forget history are likely to repeat it.
Most of the attention has been focused on men and women who found themselves in the middle of the carnage, as sailors on the USS Arizona or soldiers at Schofield Barracks, but lived to talk about it. Their firsthand accounts tell us more than a library of history books. Some accounts also testify to the power of faith.
On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, eight miles east of Pearl Harbor, in quiet, sleepy Waikiki, 14-year-old Peter Howell was roused by the sound of distant gunfire and explosions. Upon hearing from his mother that the Japanese were attacking, he climbed onto the roof of the two-story apartment house for a better view.
Born and raised in Honolulu, Howell had spent a year on Moloka'i with his grandparents, both Christian Scientists, before returning to O'ahu to live with his parents in Waikiki and attend Punahou School.
There on the rooftop, "I was so taken aback by what I saw that it stayed with me for the rest of my life," says Howell.
What he saw were dark puffs of smoke from anti-aircraft bursts and black clouds of fire rising over Pearl Harbor. Over the mountains behind Waikiki, three silver airplanes made a turn toward the battle zone — presumably Japanese fighters.
Barely an hour had passed, and the stillness of a Sunday morning seemed to have returned. Howell decided it was time to walk the family's two spaniels. He had taken but a few steps when the whistle of an artillery round brought him back to the reality of the moment. Howell instinctively threw himself onto the pavement just as the stray anti-aircraft shell thundered into the ground nearby.
"It suddenly hit me that the war was right here," says Howell.
"It was a frightening experience," he recalls, "but I had been raised as a Christian Scientist, and turned to the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy for comfort and peace of mind."
He wondered what the future held for him, if he would be alive, where he would be in 10 years.
As it turned out, silent prayer had been most effective. "My faith in God carried me through," Howell says.
Shortly after the war, Howell finished law school. He was appointed a Hawai'i state judge before going into civil litigation as an attorney in Honolulu.
Christian Science continues to bless his professional and personal life, as it did those many years ago on the infamous day at Pearl Harbor. At age 70-plus, he can certainly testify to the power of prayer.
David Kraul is photo-journalist for the Christian Science Committee on Publication for Hawaii.
Expressions of Faith is a column that welcomes submissions from pastors, priests, lay workers and other leaders in faith and spirituality. E-mail faith@honoluluadvertiser.com or call 525-8036.
