Welcome to Voices of Our People: WWII. As Hitler's army marches across Europe, Americans are determined to sit out a second world war. However, half a world away, the Empire of Japan plans a preemptive strike on an obscure U. S. Naval base known as Pearl Harbor.

 

Our speakers for Episode One:

 

Bill Ellison, a voice very familiar to fans of Mississippi Moments, will be your guide through this series. With over fifty years in broadcasting, Bill is known for his distinctive voice-over work and as host of Grass Roots, a Bluegrass music program heard weekly on Mississippi Public Broadcasting.

 

Dr. Andrew Wiest, of the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society at the University of Southern Mississippi, provides in-depth analysis of the events that led up to the sneak attack and a blow-by-blow recounting of the entire battle. He also discusses America's reaction to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

 

William Ned Locke was working at a bank in Dayton, TN, in 1938 when he decided to join the Navy. He was aboard the USS Pennsylvania, the flagship of the US Pacific Battle Fleet at the time of the attack.

 

Other speakers include:

Jimmy Persons of Natchez, James Bass of Laurel, and Irene Smith of the Gulfport Naval Home.

 

Special thanks to the Mississippi Humanities Council for their decades of support of the Center for Oral History & Cultural Heritage. The Humanities are for Everyone!

 

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