December 7, 1941, , , “a day that will live in infamy”. That’s what President Roosevelt said after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Dorine and I lived in Hawaii our first year of marriage in 1971. It was wonderful.
We had a connection to Pearl Harbor that we didn’t realize at the time, , , and that was Harold Estes.
BACKGROUND
Mr. Estes as we called him was a retired Navy Chief Boatswain’s Mate, , , a senior enlisted rank. I met him while stationed at Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Base in a golf match set up for some of the players on the San Francisco Giants baseball team who were touring in the fall of 1970. The foursomes included one of the Giants baseball players, a senior officer of our base, a retired military man, and a member of the Hawaii Marine Corps golf team.
My group included Juan Marichal (Giants Hall of Fame pitcher), the General in charge of our base, Mr. Estes (retired Navy) and me (Hawaii Marines Golf Team). We had a great day and Mr. Estes and I became great friends almost immediately. The Giants players who were there included Willie Mays, Juan Marichal, Willie McCovey, Hal Lanier, and Bobby Bonds. I didn’t get a photo but I had the foresight to buy a baseball and get it signed. I gave it to my brother who was in Little League at the time, , , he still has it.
Our Connection with Harold Estes
Fast forward a few months, , , Dorine and I get married on December 26, 1970 and she joins me in Hawaii the following February. Mr. Estes was great in helping us get started in so many ways:
- Gave Dorine a temporary job until she could find “more permanent” work.
- Helped me find an apartment in Waikiki – happened to be in the same complex as his 80-year old Mother. Mrs. Estes was a joy, , , she worked a kiosk in the International Market in Waikiki.
- Helped me find a car and a great deal – a 1967 convertible Ford Mustang, , , perfect for Hawaii.
The photo above is how we knew him. Mr. Estes was a “make it happen” man and knew how to get things done. Plus, he was an excellent salesman after his military career. For example, he was instrumental in getting the USS Bowfin (a retired submarine) brought back to Pearl Harbor to become a museum.
Because of this, he was asked to be a key part of the team formed in 1994 to bring the USS Missouri back to Pearl Harbor to become a museum where it is docked today, , , near the USS Arizona that sank in Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. The Missouri (shown below) is the battleship where the Japanese surrendered to end World War II. It’s a significant part of American history just like the Arizona.
Interestingly, the Missouri is visited by many Japanese as they associate the Missouri as representing a new beginning. It turned the rhetoric of democracy, freedom and prosperity into reality for Japan.
Mr. Estes and his wife, Doris, were good to Dorine and me in our early days of marriage, and we had lots of laughs with his Mom who I remember loved ice coffee, , , never been able to get my head around that. Mr. Estes and his wife are resting at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Every year at this time, I think of Harold Estes and the good times we shared. Rest in peace, Mr. Estes.
Mike Sisco, ITBMC 