Chilling Stories from Veterans of Pearl Harbor

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December 7th, 1941 will forever be “a date which will live in infamy.”

The attacks on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii by the Japanese stunned everyone in the United States military. The fateful attack inspired the United States to become an active force in World War II. Over 350 Japanese aircrafts were involved and struck the base in two waves that lasted 90 minutes, killing over 2,400 Americans and injuring over 1,250 more. Those 90 minutes caused monumental damage to the base and left Americans in tears.

Occurring so many years ago, many of the Pearl Harbor survivors are still able to recount their firsthand stories. With the number of Pearl Harbor survivors dwindling, it’s more important than ever to share and record their stories. The majority shows that the mental wounds of the day still remain fresh, even though they are in their 90s or older. The scars of what they saw that day will forever be burned into their memories.

James Downing, Crew Member on the USS West Virginia

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James Downing, the oldest known survivor of Pearl Harbor at 101 years old, was assigned to the USS West Virginia when the attacks happened. He was at home with his new wife when they heard explosions from the distance. He said there was no time to think – only react and rely on training. He jumped in a truck with other servicemen and sped to the war zone.

“The first emotion was surprise, and the next thing was fear,” he said. “When I saw our ships — so many of them — sunk there, I wondered, ‘What else are they going to do to us here?’”

Downing recalls seeing some horrific scenes throughout the morning.

“The saddest thing I saw that morning was sailors being blown off the ship, come up out of the water, feel the oil on their bodies...and they just became human torches...once the Japanese had sunk our ship they didn't care so all we had to do was fight the fires and take care of the wounded.”

Milton Mapou, Crew Member on the USS Detroit

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Milton Mapou, only 21 at the time, was onboard the USS Detroit. The ship was left untouched when the first explosions came. He had time to run to the gun station, but wasn’t allowed to take action.

“But my gun station was big guns, and we couldn't use them, so we just had to take it easy and wait and do what we could. We felt kind of helpless...everything that'd happened, you couldn't get it out of your mind. We didn't know how many men were lost, but we couldn't think about it right then. This was war now.”

Today, Mapou wears a hat to remind others of the attacks that happened years ago and all the men that were lost during it. He says people come up to him frequently to thank him for his service. Still, decades later, he doesn’t always know how to respond.

Jim Carter, Navy Airplane Mechanic on Ford Island

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Jim Carter was working mess cooking duty on Ford Island when the planes came down and attacked the battleships. He speaks quietly about this day and tends to hold back much of what he saw. It is something that tore him apart.

"Our mess hall had men laying on tables — wounded guys from the Arizona. I was helping take the worst ones from the mess hall over to the dispensary. There were guys with sores all over their legs from the bombs. It was a mess."

Carter, who is cautious to open up about that day, spoke to his wife about the event. She remembers him saying he “saw sailors coming out of the oil-slicked water adjacent to Ford Island horribly burned, their skin falling off as they walked.”

"I've seen him talk and tears come to his eyes," Carter’s wife said. "It's just such a bad remembrance for him."

The emotional wounds this day left on Carter will never go away. The things the men saw that day were hard to embrace.

Captain Douglas G. Phillips, USS Ramsay

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Douglas G. Phillips was onboard the USS Ramsay, enjoying his very first day abroad, when he saw the Japanese planes fly by. Instantly he felt the military in him take over.

“…The planes were successful in getting several torpedoes into the Utah and we watched there dumbfounded just a short distance away to see the Utah battleship roll over in a matter of minutes after the first attack.”

Phillips went to the bridge of the deck where he armed one of the guns. The Captain was having them focus on a Japanese target. There was yelling and confusion.

“…Right as we lined up our sights [at the target] the Navy hospital was in the background so we knew enough not to try that shot. By that time we couldn’t see anything. The smoke pot had left a mark but we couldn’t be sure what we were shooting at. But the Captain just said, ‘Is that gun loaded’? All I heard was, ‘Load’, and I did it.”

The smoke blocked his view. He panicked, not knowing what to do. He still is amazed that this was his very first day abroad.

Marine Corporal E.C. Nightengale, USS Arizona

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Marine Corporal E.C. Nightingale was onboard the USS Arizona eating breakfast when the sirens sounded. He had just gotten up from his table when he felt the shaking of his boat. What he saw he couldn’t believe, but all he knew to do was react quickly.

"The railings, as we ascended, were very hot and as we reached the boat deck I noted that it was torn up and burned. The bodies of the dead were thick, and badly burned men were heading for the quarterdeck, only to fall apparently dead or badly wounded. The Major and I went between No. 3 and No. 4 turret to the starboard side and found Lieutenant Commander Fuqua ordering the men over the side and assisting the wounded. He seemed exceptionally calm and the Major stopped and they talked for a moment. Charred bodies were everywhere."

He was terrified seeing his fallen soldiers all around him. Nightingale went on to explain that upon being flailed into the water, his body's state of shock inhibited him from swimming the remaining 150 feet to a pipe line. He would never forget his Major saving him that day.

”...I was about to go under when Major Shapley started to swim by, and seeing my distress, grasped my shirt and told me to hang to his shoulders while he swam in. We were perhaps twenty-five feet from the pipe line when the Major's strength gave out and I saw he was floundering, so I loosened my grip on him and told him to make it alone. He stopped and grabbed me by the shirt and refused to let go. I would have drowned but for the Major. We finally reached the beach where a marine directed us to a bomb shelter, where I was given dry clothes and a place to rest.”

William Hughes, Crew Member on the USS Utah

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William Hughes was sleeping aboard the USS Utah when he awoke to massive explosions. His battleship was hit by torpedoes while in port, causing it to sink. He realized the ship was rolling over, so he swam to shore and found refuge in a pipe line trench.

“On that lazy Sunday morning, most off-duty radiomen were asleep on our dry, comfortable cots in the bunk room. The tumultuous explosion that rocked the ship almost threw us out of our bunks. We must have been looking at each other in sheer amazement. Within 20 or so seconds, a second jarring explosion again rocked the ship, also from the port side, and within minutes USS Utah was taking on a pronounced list to port. These sights gave us a knot in the pit of our stomachs and very heavy hearts.”

Hughes also went into detail about the aftermath of the bombing. What Hughes saw that day shook him to the core. He was lucky to not have to do some of the terrible things that his other soldiers had to do, but acknowledged their bravery and strength.

“ ...We were the lucky ones, collecting ammunition. Many were assigned the job of collecting bodies and body parts from the murky waters of the harbor.”