It was the other Pearl Harbor; December 8, 1941 on the island called the Philippines.

General Douglas MacArthur was the Commander of the Allied Forces in Manila on the day of Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.

MacArthur’s forces were caught off-guard by the Japanese attack, and eventually received criticism for his lack of defensive action in the eight hours he had to prepare for the Japanese air assault, much in the same way the commanders fielded criticism in Hawaii.

MacArthur’s dependence upon his young air commander of two months, General Lewis H. Brereton, has been offered as an explanation for his inaction by his defenders.

Despite the militaries clear warnings of Japanese aggression, Brereton had not transitioned his air defenses to a war footing, and like the air commanders at Hickam Field at Pearl Harbor, failed to disperse aircraft properly in camouflaged revetments to limit damage from incoming air raids.

Read more at "The Promise of a Veteran Remembered" today.