Dec. 7, 1941 and the Chemical Warfare Service
When Japanese planes attacked on December 7th, 1941, one of the units on duty at Hickam Field was the 5th Chemical Service Company (Aviation). They were tasked primarily with providing defense against what might well have been bombs filled with mustard agent, phosgene or any of the other toxins Japan had used against soldiers and civilians in China. Although a service unit not usually engaged in direct combat, soldiers of the 5th CSC helped man anti-aircraft guns and are credited with downing an enemy plane. One 18-year-old soldier in the unit paid a heavy price. Pvt. John Lawrence Harrison, Jr. was seriously injured on December 7th when struck in the head by a Japanese machine gun bullet.