George H Edgley

The Men of the Armchair Brigade George H Edgley

Late in the day, on December 7, 1941, Governor Poindexter summoned all able-bodied men not already in military units to assemble at his mansion with their own, private arms. Eight hundred men responded to the Governor's call. These men came from all races, heritages, backgrounds and social levels. They represented the Japanese heritage in Hawaii, the island culture and immigrants from the American mainland as well as other nations. They came with a wide assortment of weapons, ranging from ancient German World War I machine guns to meat cleavers or umbrellas and many had no weapons at all. When they first responded, they didn't know why Governor Poindexter put out that call. He simply said they were needed and, so, they turned out. It was only when they were all assembled on the lawn at the Governor's mansion that they learned why they were needed. They were told their task was to dig in and defend the beaches if the Japanese attempted to land. They were being asked to hold the beaches until the regular Army could respond. In effect, they were being sent to their deaths.