First American killed in WWII’s legacy cemented in Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The City of Colorado Springs dedicated the I-25 bridge overpass on North Academy Boulevard to Daniel T. Griffin, the local American servicemember who was the first to be killed in World War II.
"Two years after graduating from Colorado Springs High School, my grandfather joined the Navy to see the world," Griffin's grandson, Dave Griffin, told KRDO13. "He rose to the enlisted man ranks to become a naval aviation pilot of a PBY Catalina."
Navy aviation machinist mate first class Griffin is acknowledged as the first American serviceman killed in the 1941 attack. Read the full story from KRDO13 here.
Griffin graduated from Colorado Springs High School, now known as Palmer High School, in 1928.
He was killed at the Kāneʻohe, Hawaii Naval Air Station, on the opposite side of Honolulu, minutes before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
"The Japanese dive bombers attacked on December 7th, 1941, strategically at Kāneʻohe Bay Naval Air Station, seven minutes before Pearl Harbor. Most people don't know that. They think it all happened at Pearl Harbor, but that was not quite true," Dave explained. "And there was that strategic design because they didn't want those long, big planes to go find their aircraft carrier."
Griffin is speaking about the PBY Catalina aircraft his grandfather flew. A restored PBY Catalina now sits at the National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs.
Dave Griffin explained how his grandfather was on duty that Sunday.
"He made the instant decision to swim out to his PBY since there were no ferry boats available. [He] usually had a guy or woman who would take him back and forth out to the planes. There was nobody there that morning, so he had to swim out to the plane to start with," Dave shared. "Against immeasurable odds, seeing many Japanese bombers attacking Naval Aviation Station Kāneʻohe Bay at the time, he got onto the one plane attempting to defend the air station, the men, the women and the children against multiple Japanese bombers."
Griffin's grandson says his grandfather's bravery was beyond what you could think.
"As soon as it happened, he started the engines and began taxiing to lift off out of the bay, only to be shot down, with the plane on fire. He was badly burned, but he swam towards the shore. He was swimming back to shore when he was killed by the strafing machine gun fire," detailed Dave.
Griffin is now recognized by the Navy as the first American casualty in WWII. It's a sacrifice that his son, and now grandson, have dedicated their lives to ensuring is remembered.
"It was one of his lifelong desires to make sure he was not forgotten. He always said he wanted his story to live in infamy," explained Dave.
Tuesday, after a months-long effort, this sign now stands along the I-25 bridge overpass on North Academy Boulevard to memorialize Daniel T. Griffin here in his home. And remind all of us what the definition of heroism is.
KRDO 13 broke the story about the local connection to the Pearl Harbor attack in December 2021.
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