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thedrifter
04-11-04, 09:21 AM
Aloha to Pearl Harbor veteran
Submitted by: MCB Hawaii
Story Identification Number: 200449161319
Story by Karen S. Spangler



MOILILI, HAWAII(April 9, 2004) -- MOILIILI, Hawaii -- In his green-and-white flowered aloha shirt, topped by a jaunty Pearl Harbor Survivor's cap, the grizzled and mustached Dick Fiske was a familiar face at the Arizona Memorial. This 82-year-old World War II veteran, who had not only survived the attack on Pearl Harbor but also the Battle of Iwo Jima, died peacefully in his sleep, at his home on Oahu, April 2.

Fiske had often recalled, for documentaries and books, his recollections of the day the Navy's fleet, moored in the waters of Pearl Harbor, was attacked by the Japanese, Dec. 7, 1941.

Born in Boston, Mass., on March 26, 1922, the former Marine bugler had just finished playing "To the Colors" when the attack began. As Japanese torpedoes and aerial bombs rained down on the battleship USS West Virginia, the order came to abandon ship. Fiske swam to Ford Island. In 12 minutes, the West Virginia sank.

Fiske went on to serve with the 5th Marine Division in Iwo Jima, in February 1945, and as an enlisted crew chief during the Korean and Vietnam Wars with the U.S. Air Force in 1948. He retired from the Air Force in 1973.

In January 2003, he was among 10 volunteers who were honored by U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle for contributing more than 3,000 hours of his time to the Arizona Memorial. He had served the memorial since 1982.

For decades after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the survivor harbored hatred against the Japanese attackers for the deaths of his friends and fellow Sailors, but that hatred ended in 1991 when he met Zenji Abe, a pilot of one of the Japanese Zeroes. At a reunion for World War II veterans, Fiske gave Abe a bear hug, which began a long friendship between the two wartime veterans and a new tradition.

Every year afterwards, Abe would send Fiske money to buy roses. Every month afterwards, Fiske would place the flowers at the Arizona Memorial and play "Taps" to his fallen comrades. Fiske had promised Abe that he would continue the tribute as long as he lived, and he kept his word.

Fiske spent his later years working to build bonds between Japanese and American veterans of World War II. In 1996, he received the Order of the Rising Sun with Silver Rays from the Japanese emperor.

Fiske is survived by his wife of 58 years, Carmen; a son, Richard E. Fiske; two daughters, Peggy Bundek and Ginny Kawamura; a granddaughter and a grandson.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200449161440/$file/fiske3low.jpg

Dick Fiske (1922-2004), a former Marine and Pearl Harbor survivor, spent his later years building bonds between Japanese and American veterans of World War II. He played "Taps" to his former comrades every month. Photo by: U.S. Navy Photo

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/77F121061B0A2DCB85256E71006F155E?opendocument


Ellie