thedrifter
12-07-05, 07:44 AM
December 7, 2005
Pearl Harbor prompted local man to join Marines
By Soraya Gutierrez
Sentinel Staff Writer
SANTA CRUZ — Japan's deadly attack on Pearl Harbor 64 years ago today propelled the United States into World War II and motivated a young man from Santa Cruz to join the U.S. Marine Air Corps.
Stan Williams was 21 when he quit school at St. Mary's College near Oakland to serve his country as a bombardier-navigator.
"I felt it was my duty to do so," said the 84-year-old Santa Cruz native from his Westside home where he lives with his wife of 57 years, Joan.
Before leaving for a short visit to Carmel with his wife Tuesday, Williams reflected on the historic day when U.S. naval forces in Hawaii were bombarded in a two-hour surprise assault that killed 2,400 Americans.
Eight battleships and 323 aircraft were damaged or destroyed that day, and 1,178 people were wounded.
"It was a real hard hit," Williams said. "Japan destroyed almost our whole defensive situation in the Pacific."
He compares the 1941 attack to the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, when New York's Twin Towers were leveled in a surprise attack, killing thousands.
"Both will always be memorable occasions," he said.
Perched on the wall in the living area of his home is a large picture of the type of plane Williams flew, the B-25, a two-engine bomber.
He always had an interest in flying, and during his four years of service he mainly flew night missions, using radar assistance to attack enemy ships and "kamikaze" plane factories, he explained.
Many of his friends were killed during these missions. For him, that's the most difficult part of serving in the Marines. For this reason, he said, it's important to recognize and pay homage to those killed in the Pearl Harbor attack.
"Through the efforts of a lot of men and women, we recovered and we won the war," he said. "I hope people never forget the occasion of Pearl Harbor."
Three years after completing his service and returning to Santa Cruz, Williams and his wife married and started a family. They raised five children, and now have 16 grandchildren.
He's involved in his father's business, Dell Williams, a jewelry store on Pacific Avenue.
Contact Soraya Gutierrez at sgutierrez@santacruzsentinel.com.
Ellie
Pearl Harbor prompted local man to join Marines
By Soraya Gutierrez
Sentinel Staff Writer
SANTA CRUZ — Japan's deadly attack on Pearl Harbor 64 years ago today propelled the United States into World War II and motivated a young man from Santa Cruz to join the U.S. Marine Air Corps.
Stan Williams was 21 when he quit school at St. Mary's College near Oakland to serve his country as a bombardier-navigator.
"I felt it was my duty to do so," said the 84-year-old Santa Cruz native from his Westside home where he lives with his wife of 57 years, Joan.
Before leaving for a short visit to Carmel with his wife Tuesday, Williams reflected on the historic day when U.S. naval forces in Hawaii were bombarded in a two-hour surprise assault that killed 2,400 Americans.
Eight battleships and 323 aircraft were damaged or destroyed that day, and 1,178 people were wounded.
"It was a real hard hit," Williams said. "Japan destroyed almost our whole defensive situation in the Pacific."
He compares the 1941 attack to the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, when New York's Twin Towers were leveled in a surprise attack, killing thousands.
"Both will always be memorable occasions," he said.
Perched on the wall in the living area of his home is a large picture of the type of plane Williams flew, the B-25, a two-engine bomber.
He always had an interest in flying, and during his four years of service he mainly flew night missions, using radar assistance to attack enemy ships and "kamikaze" plane factories, he explained.
Many of his friends were killed during these missions. For him, that's the most difficult part of serving in the Marines. For this reason, he said, it's important to recognize and pay homage to those killed in the Pearl Harbor attack.
"Through the efforts of a lot of men and women, we recovered and we won the war," he said. "I hope people never forget the occasion of Pearl Harbor."
Three years after completing his service and returning to Santa Cruz, Williams and his wife married and started a family. They raised five children, and now have 16 grandchildren.
He's involved in his father's business, Dell Williams, a jewelry store on Pacific Avenue.
Contact Soraya Gutierrez at sgutierrez@santacruzsentinel.com.
Ellie