7/12/1941: Cornelia Fort during Pearl Harbor

This is a story you've likely never heard.

"While working as a civilian pilot instructor at Pearl Harbor, Cornelia Fort also became one of the first witnesses to the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor.

On December 7, 1941, Fort was in the air near Pearl Harbor with a student pilot in an Interstate Cadet monoplane. Fort saw a military airplane flying directly toward her and swiftly grabbed the controls from her student to pull up over the oncoming craft. It was then she saw the rising sun insignia on the wings. Within moments, she saw billows of black smoke coming from Pearl Harbor and bombers flying in. She quickly landed the plane at John Rodgers civilian airport near the mouth of Pearl Harbor. The pursuing Zero strafed her plane and the runway as she and her student ran for cover."

From https://sierrahotel.net/blogs/news/cornelia-fort-first-female-pilot-in-american-history-to-die-on-active-duty?fbclid=IwAR0DWqXy4Hv0uOF6YF8WokRe456XWIxoqh_vVAiI4-eOo4F9oKwcwUB_920