MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii -- The attack on Oahu on Dec. 7, 1941, left with many questions on how the Japanese broke through our defenses for one of the largest and most devastating attacks on American soil by a foreign military force.Today, 60 years after the first Japanese Zero aircraft flew over this Hawaiian island, many people still dispute what really happened. These discussions are not only about the attack itself, but some of the actions taken after the "Day of Infamy" to avoid a repeat disaster.There was much more to the Japanese attack than Pearl Harbor. In fact, one of the largest disputes involves MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, then Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay.Some history books and witnesses argue that K-Bay was attacked after Pearl Harbor, while others say it was in the first wave of Zero attacks.Near K-Bay's Armed Services YMCA lies a monument marking the impact point of a downed Japanese pilot. With this marker emerges an argument of whether the first plane shot down was here or not.After the attack, many of the guns from the sunken ships in Pearl Harbor were placed around the island. Three 16-inch guns were placed here. But, arguments exist on whether or not these large guns were ever fired.The myths regarding the attack on the Mokapu Peninsula may exist for decades. Here are some facts that might clear up some of the myths behind K-Bay's involvement in the "Day of Infamy:"Time of the AttackOut at sea, the Japanese Naval Fleet waited for the command to take off.As the planes launched out over the Pacific Ocean, their mission was well planned as they all knew where to go and what to hit.Though Pearl Harbor was the largest target of the attack, it was not the first installation hit by the Zeros.As the planes came over Oahu's mountain ranges, they first assaulted Wheeler Army Airfield, and plummeted the base with bombs and machineguns.After a successful hit, this section of the first wave split in two. One half continued on to conduct the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor, with the other half-headed toward the Mokapu Peninsula.Led by Japanese Lt. Fusata Iida, a pilot with the Imperial Japanese Navy, the group of planes that targeted NAS K-Bay was not undetected.Air Station Kahuku Point was one of many military stations testing what was then a new piece of equipment - radar. As the planes approached, the soldiers saw the group on the radar screen. However, they took time to confirm that what they saw was a group of planes and not a mechanical glitch.After realizing that this was a formation of unidentified aircraft approaching, a call was made to the station officer of the day, Army Lt. Kermit Tyler.He confirmed the formation to be a group B-17 bombers flying from California to Hickam Air Force Base. These planes were to land at 8 a.m.The assumption of this formation is what many radar stations saw, but all were told the same story. Bombers were coming in to land at Hickam, so the Zeros were overlooked.Between 7:45 and 7:50 a.m., Iida's plane nosed up over North Beach and opened fire.Many of the aircraft on the station were destroyed and personnel were killed or wounded. It was a Sunday morning in paradise. Many of the people on base were just rolling out of bed when bombs and machineguns began tearing up the peaceful station.Hangers were shot up and destroyed in this attack as well.The Zeros were able to hit NAS Kaneohe Bay minutes before the planes bound for Pearl Harbor arrived at Battleship Row.The First Downed PlaneProof shows that NAS Kaneohe Bay was attacked before Pearl Harbor, but Iida has another significant role in the myths behind the attack.As his wave of planes dropped their final ordnance, Iida had taken too many hits from defending Marines and Sailors. His plane was leaking fuel and going down.He signaled to his fellow pilots to leave and that he was going to stay and aim his damaged plane to a target on the ground.His plane hit the side of Kansas Tower instead. Though Iida was the highest-ranking Japanese officer killed in this attack, there is no proof on whether or not he was the first plane shot.Firing the Big GunsAfter the attack on Oahu, military leaders realized that the island was not prepared for an attack. This problem was rectified before it could happen again.Guns were taken off of the sunken ships in Pearl Harbor and placed around the island to protect the shores from future attacks.Three 16-inch guns were placed at Battery Pennsylvania, atop U'lupau Crater.The question regarding the guns at Battery Penn. is if those guns were ever fired.In 1980, Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay received a letter from Mel Yoshinaga who wrote about the accounts of Emil Kudzia, a retired Army ordnance specialist.Kudzia was involved in the retrieval of the guns on the sunken ships and the emplacement of these guns at the numerous shore batteries.Yoshinga's letter alleges that the bearings on the guns were rusted and due to the rust from being under water, the guns could not revolve.It also argues, there was insufficient recoil for the guns to fire without damaging the gun mounts.Near Ewa, 12 and 14-inch guns were fired. It confirmed his statement by cracking the concrete mounts. For that reason the 16-inch guns on the crater were never fired. If fired, the force of a gun that size would not only damage the mounts, but it could have injured personnel and even destroyed the entire battery.Before any repairs or modifications could be made to the guns and the mounts, World War II was over.These three accounts are based on historical records, but there are people who will still dispute them.In truth, it doesn't matter if K-Bay was hit before or after Pearl Harbor, if Iida was the first downed pilot or if Battery Penn. ever fired its' guns. All that matters is that on Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a major surprise attack on America.Our forces were caught off guard and many civilians and servicemembers lost their lives, because of the surprise attack. Today, Marines and Sailors on K-Bay train daily to prepare for tomorrow's battles on our soil or abroad.