December 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor Casualties. Uncle Ray was nearing the end of his career in 1937 when John and Jake both decided to enlist. He has trouble remembering the past. Colombia. About a year after he boarded the ship, he ran into a young recruit named Clyde Williams, a fellow from Okmulgee, Okla., a few miles down the road from Morris. Before the end of the war, he went to San Diego for gunner's mate school. But he didn't want to start his civilian life in the brig, so he left it in Honolulu. During the conference, the Pringle sailed into the Mediterranean Sea and anchored in a river. Pearl Harbor was a United States Naval base on the island of Oahu, located west of Honolulu. 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. A tale of war and romance mixed in with history. He acknowledged the wreath. Bruner looked each recruit in the eyes to determine the right job, but he wasn't testing their mettle, not yet. He looks forward to his time with the guys from his years in the Navy. Some of 'em made it, some of 'em landed on the deck. he met his contact and not long after, he was standing in for Orson Welles in a scene from the movie "The Stranger.". "I knew everything that was going on.". It hastened the United States' entry . Pearl Harbor centres on a cloverleaf-shaped, artificially . He doesn't like to talk about the attack. "We won't get in," Conter said. "When they dropped that bomb that made our ammunition explode, it dang near broke the ship in two, so we couldn't go anywhere forward of that," he says. "We don't think you'd make it. Bruner, who turned 94 in November, is now one of nine living USS Arizona crewmen who survived the ship's sinking. 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. It was carrying parts of the Little Boy atomic bomb as a top secret mission and the Navy learned about its sinking four days after ot was torpedoed. We'd go out and blow them up.". He had escaped the USS Arizona, the battleship whose losses surpassed any other. One of the survivors would receive the Rhode Island Cross. For Haerry, McBride had a the state's highest military honor, the Rhode Island Cross. The sea turned rough, tossing the ship with 40-foot swells, bouncing the vessel like a rubber ball in a washing machine. "To go through that to me is incomprehensible. Hetrick was on board during battles at Midway and Wake Island and for the U.S. invasion of Iwo Jima early in 1945. That was the end of it.". He eases the truck out of the carport, far enough to show it off. His ships steamed across the Pacific, through the Panama Canal to Africa. "We'd send two guys out to knock the icicles off the guns, then they'd high-tail it back in. So you see how that works."). At 93, he is one of the last survivors ofthe attack on the Arizona. Since the 1920s . The six-year Pentagon project identified nearly 400 who died on the USS Oklahoma in 1941. "They tried to jump off. dwayne johnson rock foundation contact. The studios needed tough men who could handle dangerous situations. Yes, he'll say, he was on the Arizona and he survived. 2023 www.azcentral.com. But when Ka'ahupahau realized that the girl actually did die, she regretted her rash order and instead said that sharks should never attack humans in the Pearl Harbor region. Cook enlisted in the Navy in 1940 and was assigned to the USS Arizona, one of the largest battleships in the fleet with a crew that, at full complement, numbered more than 1,500. Cook made it off alive. A painting of the Arizona hangs on the wall of a sitting room. An impressive collection of restaurant menus from 30 years of cross-country searches for used cars. ", "Baloney," Conter replied. ", He stops in front of a newspaper, the front page of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin with the headline: "WAR! He wanted one last unforgettable day. Their habitats include saltwater and freshwater alike. Anderson spoke to one of the tanker's crew about towing the Macdonough. A bow. Deer and rabbits wander the hillside. Seventy-three years later, he is one of just nine survivors of the attack on the Arizona. He met up with some of the guys from the turret crew and they hopped a boat to shore, where there was a call for volunteers to join the Navy's destroyers. Potts was working aboard an oil tanker, making short runs out of the harbor to refuel ships anchored off the coast. He introduced him to other officers. Bruner was the second-to-last man to leave the sinking ship. Put in eight years at least and you'll have a pension, he promised. The USS Shaw explodes after being hit by bombs during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in this December 7, 1941 photo. Not long after he returned to Pearl Harbor near the end of the war, Anderson searched out some of the battle reports from Dec. 7, 1941. He spent the rest of the day retrieving bodies from the harbor. He will answer questions about that December day when he escaped the burning wreckage of the Arizona, reciting as many of the details as he can remember. Potts picked up the Colt 45 he'd found on Ford Island on Dec. 7, 1941. "The nights up there were already short, so I didn't get much sleep," Cook says. "We would go in with a landing party or we furnished artillery for the landing force. He wants to secure a proper medal for Joe George, the sailor from the Vestal who helped rescue the six men from the gunner's control tower. "I'm a painter," he said. "It was a big ship with a lot of metal, I'll tell you." "He'd always have to be prompted.". "I got another ship for you," the officer said at last. "I told the men, 'If a shark comes close, hit it in the nose with your fist as hard as you can.'". He's never been back. Finally, the tanker spotted the destroyer. Potts was returning to the Arizona with fresh produce when the first Japanese bombers dove into Pearl Harbor. Conter served on the San Pablo and Half Moon. He was 20 when he escaped the burning wreckage ofthe USS Arizonain Pearl Harbor. UPDATE: Bruner died in 2019. 4 Comments. "When I got back home, my doctors here wanted to know about my medical background," Bruner said. "We lit into them, started firing on them," Bruner said. "They said, 'If you re-enlist, we'll send her over.' With a total of 1,195 men aboard, about 300 went down with the ship. Minutes later, the Japanese attacked and the Arizona was on fire, sinking beneath the surface. The crew was evacuated and another U.S. destroyer scuttled the Lexington to keep the Japanese from capturing her. Pearl Harbor became one of the major reason for the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy (in 1893) and the kingdoms annexation (in 1898) by the US government.The Spanish American war began that same year in the Philippines and Cuba which ended with the US winning both territories from the Spanish. One day, a Navy officer came on board and asked if anyone wanted to volunteer for an assignment in the aviation section. Pearl Harbor, naval base and headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Honolulu county, southern Oahu Island, Hawaii, U.S. They knew the oil tanker Tippecanoe was out there, but couldn't see her. Many have since died. He went to work as a junior accountant for a prominent Boston firm. He asked his brother, Ted, to visit Libby and see if she could cook. "I was on a date on that Saturday night with a gal I'd been running around with," he says. "I had to start training the new recruits on every machine," Bruner said. During his voyage to Alaska, Cook remembers the flying fish, which stirred up the water like a torpedo wake. "What's up with this one? He half-swam, half-walked the 70 yards to Ford Island and manned a mounted machine gun. He thinks back. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. That was enough to rattle nerves on board the ship, which was at general quarters every day an hour before sundown and an hour before sunrise. He had a ticket home to Minnesota, but decided to find a place to stay and come up with a plan. We had survival training on the job. He fought cold and hunger on a ship nearly dead in the ocean off Alaska. From Virginia, he went to Utah, to France and then to Albuquerque, where he retired in November 1961. He ran to the anti-aircraft battery, his battle station, but there was no ammunition ready. For a lot of people, meeting Elvis and playing one of his first records on the air might sound like one of life's truly unforgettable days. And as the victims' blood spread through the water, sharks - which can smell blood up to three miles away - were attracted to the defenceless sailors, creating a feeding frenzy. "The stuff he likes.". With eyes too close or two far apart, a crewman could deliver faulty readings. Another five minutes, Bruner figured, and they'd have run out of ammunition. A framed painting of the Arizona, the repair ship Vestal next to it. He wrote Libby a letter and suggested it would be a good idea if Libby visited her friend on or about a particular date. But Hetrick couldn't find work, so inside of six months, he signed up for the Navy Reserve. "Would you like to listen to it?" He keeps a photo from that tournament on a bookshelf in an alcove off the kitchen. They trade stories. Conter helped establish training bases in Florida and California and in 1965, he returned to Pearl Harbor to write training materials for troops headed to Vietnam. He gave Anderson the name of a contact there. In 1966, 25 years after the attack, Stratton returned to Pearl Harbor with his family. He was attending midshipman's school at Northwestern University. Tensions between Japan and the U.S. simmered throughout the early 20th century and came to a boil in the 1930s as Japan attempted to conquer China, even . They called the Marines out with rifles to protect the plane and the guys while we hauled it in.". The fireball from the explosion engulfed the six men in the box and trapped them. As the 50thanniversary of the attack neared, Langdell got a call from a documentary filmmaker. Haerry held the rope that connected the ships as another crewman swung an ax to cut it. He played a lot of golf, but missed California. The exhausted crew dragged ashore an hour later and hid in the jungle, fearful they would be captured by Japanese soldiers. His job was to put the primer in the big 14-inch gun. He said, 'whatever I can get out of you.' CARNIVOROUS SHARKS. He had visited before, but this trip meant more. Bruner laughs as he remembers the conversation. As he prepared for his new posting on the Frazier, Langdell decided to make a move. "I don't think we'll ever be able to swim to shore. Yet in a place where you couldn't cross the street without running into a war vet, Bruner was not just another ex-sailor who made it home. mailchimp archive contacts Controle dos clientes e convnios; fatal car accident loveland colorado Abertura e fechamento de caixa, Sangria e despesas; "Would you like a job?" world war ii. He first visited the Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor on the 50thanniversary of the attack and has returned since. UPDATE:John Anderson diedin November 2015, less than a year after this report. The ship steamed toward the Asiatic Pacific and soon Anderson was chasing Japanese forces again, only this time the United States was at war. The two men not only met, they took a boat to the USS Arizona memorial and laid a wreath in front of the wall with the names of the crewmen who died on the ship. The crews were based on tender ships moored in secluded harbors. "Lou, let's go to flight school," Conter's buddy said one day. Three years later, Ray Haerry Jr. holds the cross in his hand, fighting back tears. He owns a chunk of the ship's burned deck, a reminder he keeps in a box with a few other items. "We didn't hear much from the outside at first," Hetrick said. The clerks decided they could not send Stratton away without his permit. Anderson's road to the radio booth started in Hollywood, with a screen test at a studio where he had worked. "But it was a lot better than being shot at.". Langdell lives now in a skilled nursing center. Potts had not returned to Honolulu in the decades since he left for San Francisco in 1945. Answer (1 of 23): Before I begin this answer I must confess to a surprising degree of ignorance, I once thought myself pretty well versed in maritime history and sea lore, until I began research for this answer. They were married in an Episcopal Church on Van Ness Avenue. He would draw out snippets and stash them away, collecting them until he would weave the barest narrative. It wasn't, but the flash was a reminder, as if he needed anything more. For an hour or so, the two men talk. A few incidents were possible shark bites, but shark involvement was not [] He returned to Oklahoma again and started his own business, outfitting a one-ton Ford pickup with a winch and other equipment that let him work the oil fields. How could he say no? Posted by ; royal canin yorkie dog food reviews; parkland psychiatric hospital dallas, tx . Stratton and other men climbed into a small boat that took them ashore. He would become the final survivor to be interred in the ship. Cook was assigned to the USS Patterson, then two months later, transferred to the Aylwin, a destroyer that had been moored at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7 and engaged the bombers as the attack began. Once a shark finds its prey, it needs to decide on whether to eat or not based on smell and appearance. "We're were out and around. On the Arizona, he worked on the deck crew. Nobody was expecting anything like that.". For years, Stratton wore the scars from the Arizona without talking about them much. He had taken a bullet to the back of his leg as he was climbing the tower, but the burns were far worse. So he did. He squeezes past the pool table, past the photos and the maps and the medals. He returned after the war to his home along the railway in eastern Oklahoma. evolution golf cart forum "That must be old Clyde Williams," he thought, the Arizona band member killed at Pearl Harbor. "I appreciate your thoughtfulness. After he returned from Korea, Haerry was promoted to master chief petty officer, signifying his experience and level of service. Just stories, the kind buddies tell each other. Would Ken be willing to go as a guest of honor? In 1967, Conter retired from the Navy. He was on his own once again, he and his young family. The Frazier patrolled the South Pacific at first, but in early 1943, steamed northward toward Alaska, where Japan was trying to secure positions in the Aleutian Islands. Occasionally, they head into Okmulgee for an evening out at the One Fire, a casino operated by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Cook was a gunner's mate on the Arizona. High winds could slam one ship into the other and sink one or both of the vessels. Conter and his buddy waited for new instructions, but heard nothing. "Randy, come and turn on the music box." Why Did Pearl Harbor Happen? "Can you tell me what ship did he go on after the Arizona?" One, Joe Langdell, lives about 40 miles away in Yuba City. The Saratoga sailed across the South Pacific, to Guam, the Philippines, around New Guinea. The tender didn't want to be tied to the larger ship when the worst of the storm blew through. "He's there for me. The Coghlan's crew battled just to keep the guns free of ice as they headed toward their next target. "I'd do it a hundred times more," he says. ("Two of us with the same rank were up for the same kind of job," he said. "I said goodbye and left.". "That lumber was so damn green then, we used to kid we had to shoot the squirrels out of it.". We were going to have a date the next day. He and a buddy would sneak off campus and hop freight trains to see how far they could get. Discipline seems less important than it was in his day. She nods and smiles. Sometimes, Japanese pilots attended memorial ceremonies and some of the other survivors would shake their hands. "In three days, we rescued 219 coast watchers without losing anybody," Conter said. The face plate is glass and around the bottom are screws that would secure it to the diving suit. Anderson has returned to the Arizona memorial often and has taken his family there. In 2011, he was one of six Rhode Islanders who had lived through the attack on Pearl Harbor, the only one from the Arizona. They were trying to replenish submarines or send smaller ships in. "We took off," Bruner said, "firing just as fast as we could. He was able to visit the national cemetery at an area called the Punch Bowl. It is about three feet tall, with a carved island figure on top and the silhouette of a Hawaiian warrior on a plaque. He finally found people who understood his experience. "It's always a great thing for me to see them," he says. 2 gun turret. The guns used the same type of control mechanisms Bruner had mastered on the Arizona. But he could not be prepared for what he found on the charred hulk of the battleship. I guess he'd do anything he could for me. "We made friends. He can't relive those images anymore. "To see the people I knew back in those days," he says. This list and the accompanying graphics do not include encounters in which a shark does not actually bite a person or board (e.g. Her sister knew Jack Warner, the film studio mogul, and invited Valerie to a movie premiere party Warner was hosting in Palm Springs for his latest project, "Camelot". He could see the band was sincere. I'd been told things like that before. John was sent from training camp in Illinois to Bremerton, Wash. "He was very military by then, very disciplined.". 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. "That's what I'm catching up now. 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. Haerry felt the entire ship life out of the water. As they walked toward it, Langdell reeled at an odor. Guns. One day, he stopped for coffee at the Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood. So reads the telegram sent to the Mattituck home of Anna and Clifford Penny on Dec. 10, 1941. When the regular stuntmen returned and the studio cut loose the subs, Ladd hired some of them to work on his house in the Holmby Hills above Los Angeles. Were there sharks Pearl Harbor? He was assigned briefly to the Arizona, then to the Saratoga, an aircraft carrier, then, as the Navy tinkered once more with its troop alignment, back to the Arizona. Civilian Casualties. Enemy patrol planes spotted the ships and the raid was canceled. By 1941, he worked the cranes on the ship, a job that entailed retrieving the Arizona's small seaplanes after they landed on the water. Ray Jr. seems surprised. The Lexington sailed out of Pearl Harbor not long after. The easy stories he'd tell. Today, the population can almost reach 1,500 when everyone is home. "I didn't have the slightest idea what would happen when I signed up," he said. Then we got hit.". We can't let it happen again.". Bruner started as a painter, trained as a carpenter, then helped start a new sheet-metal department. He could see the planes were flying too low for his guns anyway, but before his crew could figure out their next move, an armor-piercing bomb detonated near the powder magazine beneath the No. Williams was on deck, tuning up to play for colors, an early call after the previous day's fleet Battle of the Bands on shore. His work turned toward survival training in a new military program called SERE, for Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape. Stratton hesitated, then confirmed her suspicion. He tried not to remember the days after the attack. The Japanese-American mother, father and their three children. Friends told them when the left the church, keep the water on their left. Once, I made a dive in a two-man submarine, down in over 1,200 feet of water off Santa Barbara coast. They traveled around the country, meeting up with other USS Arizona survivors, with shipmates from the Frazier. "Not Navy ships, other ships. Haerry straightened in his seat as his story was told. Nope. "Why do you like the hat, dad?" Ken Potts eases around the side of the pool table, waving toward items like a museum tour guide in a back room. "I wasn't going out there. "They were saying, when it first started, some of the ones whose station was up here ", He traces his finger up onto the main forward mast, to the crow's nest and the bridge. "I got the lay a wreath in front of the names of the fallen," he says quietly. Her father was an engineer and a top executive for a dredging company with a big Navy contract. Langdell had borrowed a car, a Dusenburg, for the honeymoon. McBride reached the last man, Raymond Haerry, a 20-year-old coxswain on the day of the assault. "A brush painter.". He squinted and thought about where he was. Fish, in general, are the most common prey for sharks. "In the service, if you didn't use nasty words, you weren't a good sailor.". Finally, the four U.S. destroyers were ordered to mount a torpedo run. A few weeks later, Conter and his buddy passed a flight test at sea and on Nov. 1, they got their orders: Report to Navy flight school in Pensacola, Fla. Two weeks later, the Arizona's captain called the two sailors in and told them the ship was headed back to Long Beach in early December. The license plate reads USS ARIZ. A mural on a white bed cover depicts the USS Arizona and the memorial that floats above it in Pearl Harbor. He needed a truck to carry equipment back and forth, so he scouted out a car lot and bought a 1965 Chevrolet pickup. He then spent 14 months recovering in Great . He looked for what he called medium spacing. The day after the attack, President Franklin D . About a month later, Japanese suicide bombers sunk the Pringle near Okinawa. He fought with other sailors in the Battle of Midway and watched the Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima. LaRocque took Anderson to San Pedro, where his current ship was anchored. This time the objective was clear. They respected a guy who survived such a horrific attack. "They told me the team was already picked," he said. Large species also consume marine mammals such as dolphins, seals, sea lions, and porpoises, as well as large fish species such as tuna, mackerel, and even smaller shark species. He tried to keep his thoughts on the work in the office. After high school, Langdell enrolled at Boston University, working nights to pay for his classes, and in 1938, he earned a degree in business administration. She returned, puzzled. He clears his throat. He settled in Palm Springs and built a career as a real estate developer, buying up land for commercial and residential projects.