An overflow crowd of more than 70 people at Missouri Valley College heard a first-hand account Monday, April 21 from author Dorinda Nicholson of a pivotal moment in American history.

The Hawaii native witnessed the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 from her childhood home near Honolulu, an event that shaped her life as she’s written several books and collected stories about that infamous date. She tells KMMO News that she hoped to impart on the audience a need to tell their story for future generations.

Nicholson says recounting her story opened the door to visiting with veterans who defended the Harbor, and even Japanese pilots who took part in the bombing raid.

Nicholson’s presentation included photos of her childhood, and the government-issued gas mask she had to carry around wartime Hawaii. After the war she would move to Kansas City and recount her experiences in the book Pearl Harbor Child, which led to her account being included in a number of museums and traveling exhibits about the bombing that brought the U.S. into World War II.