Dr. David Ulbrich, who teaches military history at RSU, discusses how the Marine Corps prepared for war in the Pacific during the Pearl Harbor@75 Symposium on Nov. 5 at Utica College in Utica, New York. Photo credit: Christopher Fobare, Utica College.
A Rogers State University military historian was one of eight scholars nationwide to examine the historical details of the attack on Pearl Harbor at a recent academic symposium in Utica, New York.
Dr. David Ulbrich, Assistant Professor of History and Political Science at RSU, presented a scholarly paper at the Pearl Harbor@75 Symposium held Nov. 5 at Utica College. The symposium commemorated the 75th anniversary of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor by examining the myths and complex history that surround the event.
Ulbrich’s paper, “The U.S. Marine Corps and the Coming of Pearl Harbor: A Study of Prescient Planning,” analyzed the missions, force structures, doctrines, and vehicles developed by the U.S. Marine Corps during the 1920s and 1930s as they planned for a major war in the Pacific.
“The Pearl Harbor@75 Symposium provided an ideal venue for interaction between the scholars and those people in the audience,” Ulbrich said. “It was a worthwhile event, and I was honored to have been able to present my paper. Dr. David Wittner and the staff at Utica College were gracious hosts.”
The attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, caused 4,500 American casualties and plunged the United States into World War II. However, the symposium organizers note that most Americans know little about the historical causes of the event.
“Pearl Harbor is one of the best known and most misunderstood events in U.S. and world history. Our assumption is that Japan attacked the U.S. unprovoked and with no warning,” said Dr. David Wittner, the professor of East Asian History at Utica College who organized the symposium. “While the debate still simmers, conspiracy theories abound, and movie goers still flock to relive the event.”
Ulbrich teaches in RSU’s Military History program, which is the only one of its kind in Oklahoma. He is co-author of “Ways of War: American Military History from the Colonial Era to the 21st Century,” a textbook that is now required reading for all cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
More information on Pearl Harbor will be available during RSU-TV’s documentary special, “Remember Pearl Harbor,” which will air at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7th. For more information about RSU’s Military History program, call 918-343-6811 or visit www.rsu.edu/military-history.