"But I had a brother in Vietnam who didn't want to talk about it at all, so I guess I realized if they want to talk, they'll talk. "They told me the team was already picked," he said. We swept the decks and took the small bones. As he walked past a bar, still in his Navy uniform, a fellow popped out the door and looked Anderson up and down, checking him out more closely someone would ordinarily. Nicaragua. The ship was still a day away from Honolulu when the captain received new orders. Joe had met Elizabeth McGauhy in Chicago half a decade earlier. The men helped one another, holding up anyone who weakened. Put in eight years at least and you'll have a pension, he promised. He visited the memorial and was relieved to see the builders got it right. He had settled in New Mexico with his family. UPDATE:Joe Langdell diedin February 2015, months after this report. 4. "This went on for four straight hours. "If somebody in authority said do something back then, you didn't question it. Enemy patrol planes spotted the ships and the raid was canceled. "Knock it off. In the chaotic days following the Dec. 7 ambush, the Navy wasn't letting ships into the harbor, fearful the Japanese might send in more bombers. "I just didn't want to. "That's what I'm catching up now. did sharks eat pearl harbor victims. He first visited the Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor on the 50thanniversary of the attack and has returned since. I don't think sharks go that far. "They said what a wonderful place it was to live, with jobs and everything, so I bought a little place up in Spanish Fork," he says, "I'm still looking for that easy money.". When they sent me my discharge, I just stayed here.". The buddy wasn't home, but his son-in-law answered. Cook asked. The six-year Pentagon project identified nearly 400 who died on the USS Oklahoma in 1941. He clears his throat. On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Cook was changing clothes at his locker, savoring the thought of a day in Honolulu with the $60 he'd won in a craps game the night before. So he did. He wanted to part of it. An avocado tree grows in the backyard. The band would cover all expenses for him and Doris. All rights reserved. He has told her about his escape from the Arizona. Now, some courses require less than a week of field time. Around 2005, he and Jeanne moved to Bullhead City. I think it was one of the proudest days of my father's life.". Haerry ran away from home to join the Navy. "We wouldn't get much fire back and by the time they sounded general quarters, we were on our way," Conter said. The primer went in last, before the end of the gun was sealed shut. Doctors and nurses wove among gurneys, administering morphine shots and looking for the victims most in need. Potts says, shaking his head. "A brush painter.". Guns. He saw Gene LaRocque, a man he'd served with aboard the Macdonough. She likes the story of how they tied the knot. Uncle Ray was nearing the end of his career in 1937 when John and Jake both decided to enlist. After about six months of training in San Diego, Hetrick returned to Honolulu and joined the USS Saratoga, the sister ship of the Lexington. And that's what he told every soldier and airman who took his courses.*. He is one of nine living survivors of the Arizona and, at 97, he has amassed a lifetime of unforgettable days. "It gets your breath when you first see it," he says. On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Harold, 24, was on deck of the Oklahoma while William, 23, was working below, according to their family. Many veterans who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor have met over the years and become friends, particularly at the annual Dec. 7 gatherings at the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. The United States declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941, the day following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Late in the year, after an overhaul in San Francisco, the Coghlan returned to patrol duty off the Aleutians with a half dozen other U.S. vessels. Seabirds. "Through all that, I never did lose consciousness," he says. I asked the boss, 'how many hours is in a day for you?' He worked his way up to crew chief on a squadron of B-26 bombers, After 18 months overseas, he returned to Langley Field in Virginia. They knew the oil tanker Tippecanoe was out there, but couldn't see her. Although he is 97, he decided he couldn't miss a final reunion this year and he bought his tickets early. striking a number of people in the water. "I'd do it a hundred times more," he says. He was still active, so would report to the Navy Pier each morning to check a list for the names of sailors who had been given duties for the day. In 1949, the newly created U.S. Air Force was trying to fill it out its ranks with experienced support crews, almost begging for mechanics who knew the aircraft. Pearl Harbor was the site of the unprovoked aerial attack on the United States by Japan on December 7, 1941. The Stratton men have taken up a more personal cause. It turned out most of the regular stuntmen were still in the military. In World War II, he fought at Guadalcanal, in the battle of the Coral Sea, at Okinawa and Iwo Jima. "I said, 'sure, I'll take it.' The Saratoga had returned to Pearl Harbor by the time the Japanese surrendered. He was nervous about volunteering for anything, but he raised his hand. The fellow told him to report to the front gate of Sam Goldwyn's studio in Hollywood on Monday morning. For years, Stratton wore the scars from the Arizona without talking about them much. "We saved people on commercial ships on the seas, we rescued missionaries in the interior of China, we shot up a bunch of pirates," Anderson said. He agreed to play it on his show. "It was boring," Potts says. The Saratoga sailed across the South Pacific, to Guam, the Philippines, around New Guinea. Too many strategic decisions come down from Washington instead of from the commanders on the ground. His old co-pilot in the New Guinea days was asked once if he'd had survival training for the war. He eases the truck out of the carport, far enough to show it off. At nights, Anderson was taking classes in meteorology and electronics, trying to learn skills that could help him stand out among all the returning servicemen and women. Pearl Harbor attack, (December 7, 1941), surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu Island, Hawaii, by the Japanese that precipitated the entry of the United States into World War II. Crippled ships still floated around the mooring posts along Ford Island. "Three months later, I was in Korea.". So reads the telegram sent to the Mattituck home of Anna and Clifford Penny on Dec. 10, 1941. By early 1941, Langdell was one of the "90-day wonders" and drew his first assignment: The USS Arizona. "I witnessed your attack from Ford Island. Among those killed were over 1,700 aboard the USS Arizona, 103 . The men followed orders in a fog of wonderment and confusion. "It was rough weather, foggy, raining cold," Anderson said. Hetrick saw a new opportunity and joined. In 2011, he was one of six Rhode Islanders who had lived through the attack on Pearl Harbor, the only one from the Arizona. The ships sent up their own planes and turned back the assault. One day, he stopped for coffee at the Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood. "We'd send two guys out to knock the icicles off the guns, then they'd high-tail it back in. Potts picked up the Colt 45 he'd found on Ford Island on Dec. 7, 1941. "Are you out of the Navy, Andy?" "In the service, if you didn't use nasty words, you weren't a good sailor.". He was still adjusting to his new life in Colorado, hundreds of miles inland from his old home in coastal California and more than a mile higher in elevation. He looked for what he called medium spacing. They moved to Santa Maria, not far from Santa Barbara, to be near their oldest son, then to Colorado Springs to be near Randy. Conter attended the same event and was seated next to Valerie. In 1940, Anderson reported to the Arizona once more, joining his brother for the first time since they had enlisted. Just another site did sharks eat pearl harbor victims Keeping the memories alive. "It never gets easy to go back," he says. What do great white sharks eat in Hawaii? "Would you like a job?" He thinks back. Photographs. Today, he tries to pass on what he knows to students of history. "Would you like to listen to it?" "We made friends. Cook and the other men stayed below deck until the smoke from a fire forced them to leave. The river wound through dense vegetation, leaving 15 or 20 feet of clearance on each side of the plane. Sometimes we never landed, but we kept the line, always watching out for kamikazes.". did sharks eat pearl harbor victims. Occasionally, they would close the store and hook a 33-foot trailer to a pick-up truck. Did he ever. Almost three decades later, he was the plant manager, second-in-command. Langdell lives now in a skilled nursing center. "He should have the Navy Cross," Stratton says. In May 1942, the Aylwin joined a task force in the Coral Sea with the USS Lexington, one of the Navy's early aircraft carriers. They went out for coffee afterward. One day, some smaller boats sailed past. "That's what I want to remember. Cook made it off alive. This all changed when the United States declared war on Japan, bringing the country into World War II. "We made so many landings," Anderson said. We can't see our own ships. He can tell stories about his years with the diving crews, but the truck has evolved into a reminder of another time. Fish, in general, are the most common prey for sharks. He won't talk much about the escape, or about the men who didn't make it across. Langdell arrived at Pearl Harbor along a different path than many of the young sailors, who signed up for the service because they were unable to find work as civilians. . "I came back to the pier one morning and my name was on the list to do KP work," he says. He then spent 14 months recovering in Great . We got into a run-and-gun battle. "You either had a nice place aboard a ship and were high and dry or you didn't have anything," he reasoned. The Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor began just before 8 a.m. local time Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. pearl harbor 1941. uss arizona. Anderson went aboard the USS Edsall, a destroyer that supported various military action at sea and ashore. Potts stayed in Honolulu until the end of the war. Deer and rabbits wander the hillside. "Here we are, we can't see the enemy. He knew he was near release the day an officer came by and launched into a pep talk about the war and the Navy's role in it. OAHU, Hawaii (NEXSTAR) On the day that will live in infamy December 7, 1941 2,403 U.S. personnel were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Military Casualties. They bought a small ranch and, while Lonnie continued to work welding jobs, they grew walnuts, almonds, peaches, apples, nectarines, cherries and grapes. He wasn't ready to see it all again, to sharpen the memories he'd tried to dull. He was active in those groups for many years, serving as president of one devoted to the Arizona. The owner said, 'give it a name and say who are. This day, which marks the attack on Pearl Harbor, has come to be known as the "Day of Infamy" (derived from President Franklin D. Roosevelt's speech the day after the attack). He finally received his orders to return to the states. One day, a young fellow knocked on his door. It is dated Dec. 21, 1941. Whale sharks are found in warm waters in the Pacific . Conter and others in his group boarded a boat to go out to the platform and see his old ship. That was the way it was.". "They said, 'If you re-enlist, we'll send her over.' By winter, temperatures plunged below zero. "These captains of the ships, when they left the states, they had no idea where they were going, just that they're going via Pearl Harbor," Potts said. Cha c sn phm trong gi hng. We all have to remember that they did not die in vain.". A few days later, the drove through the crumbling streets of Hiroshima. Updated: Dec 8, 2021 / 05:46 AM CST. That didn't last long and he headed back to Morris, where he met Marietta. "I ain't seen 'em since.". During the conference, the Pringle sailed into the Mediterranean Sea and anchored in a river. "Sometimes they'd get shooting at you and you'd look at the shells and they looked like they were going to hit you. Nobody was expecting anything like that.". He asked if Jeanne could come with him. He wrote a training manual whose precepts the Navy still follows. 1914-1941:The mightiest ship at sea | Dec. 7, 1941: The attack that changed the world| Documentary: 'Witness to Infamy' | 2014: The final toast. "It's easier if you come see it," the sailor said. UPDATE: Bruner died in 2019. Everything was taken ashore and properly taken care of.". He missed enough of his classes that he was finally asked to leave. I wanted to know if you could do it for a couple of weeks.". The planes flew up the Sepik River from the northern coast of New Guinea. The day after, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared it "a date which will live in infamy," and Congress . Langdell took a right turn instead of a left and the newlyweds didn't realize their mistake until they stopped for gas in Gilroy, about 80 miles south of San Francisco. He asked his brother, Ted, to visit Libby and see if she could cook. "I don't think I'll ever forget what I saw that day.". Three days later, he and his buddy were on a ship to San Francisco and then a train to Pensacola. "Iremember hearing explosions at first," he says. "I got another ship for you," the officer said at last. Occasionally, they head into Okmulgee for an evening out at the One Fire, a casino operated by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The studios needed tough men who could handle dangerous situations. You're the bravest man I ever know. The countries of Japan and The United States had been at odds for several decades before the attack on Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941. He has been telling his story to an author, Ed McGrath, who is working on a book and a film about Bruner's escape from a collapsing tower on the ship. It never returned, crippled in the Battle of the Coral Sea and scuttled by the Navy to keep the enemy from salvaging her. And he was aboard on Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese bombed the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, a pivotal moment in history, but one that struck Anderson to his core. After so many years of travel, the Cooks have settled into a more tranquil pace. Lonnie and Marietta Cook met in Morris after the war, but the road to their home here today winds thousands of miles across the country. Hetrick, who is 91, has outlived most of the men he knew on the Saratoga. The crew was evacuated and another U.S. destroyer scuttled the Lexington to keep the Japanese from capturing her.
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