Pearl Harbor 80th Anniversary: St. Paul Vet Witnessed Attack Firsthand

CBS Minnesota

December 8, 2021

On December 7th, 1941 news traveled fast of the attack on Pearl Harbor. But St. Paul’s Edwin Tjosvold witnessed it firsthand.

“Actually he didn’t talk about it much, but we found out things, certain things,” said Laura Kicker, Tjosvold’s daughter. Kicker’s father was there, on guard duty when the Japanese planes got there. At first he thought they were American pilots doing a practice run.

“The first one kind of got past him, but by the time the second one came through, I guess they knew what was going on and he kind of explained it like, everybody’s knees were weak on the first one, but that didn’t last long and on the second one, they really gave it to ‘em,” remembered Kicker.

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