Survivor of USS Arizona recalls Pearl Harbor

[thedrifter]

Survivor of USS Arizona recalls Pearl Harbor

Last updated on: 12/7/2007 7:04:46 PM by Meaghan Smith


CHARLOTTE COUNTY: Among the people at a Punta Gorda ceremony to remember the victims of Pearl Harbor and celebrate the survivors, few understand the significance of the attack more than one man.

Vernon Olsen was aboard the USS Arizona at the time of the attack. He was there as nearly 1,200 fellow sailors and Marines lost their lives that day.

Since then, Olsen has shared his story in books and on national television. Friday, he and his wife Joann sat down to tell their story to NBC2.

Olsen says that Sunday was a day that began like any other. He was 21-years-old working on the mast on the Arizona.

But that's about all that Olsen can really remember about that day. As each day passes, his memory is withering away more and more as dementia sets in.

Now, it's up to Joann, his wife of 63 years, to keep his story alive.

"He saw the Japanese bomber come in between the mast and drop the bomb," said Joann.

Olsen was so close to the plane, Joann says he could see the Japanese pilot grinning.

"When he dropped that bomb, it hit the ammunition below and that caused the ship to explode," said Olsen.

When that happened, those that could abandoned ship.

"The ship was on fire and exploding," said Joann.

As Olsen jumped into the water, planes overhead were still shooting at him.

"They could hear them hollering and screaming to help. They couldn't get them out. The ship was so mangled," said Joann.

Eventually, Olsen was pulled from the water and taken to shore. He suffered burns to his arms.

Friday in his Port Charlotte home, he went through some old pictures with his wife at his side. Though legally blind, somehow he still recognized his ship and still puts on his hat with incredible precision.

When he speaks, he talks about what a lucky man he is.

"All the things, I got sunk and then I got married. I was pretty lucky in everything I did," said Olsen.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Pearl Harbor survivors honor comrades

By AUDREY McAVOY, Associated Press Writer


A few dozen graying Pearl Harbor survivors observed a moment of silence on Friday in honor of their comrades who perished in the Japanese bombing of Oahu 66 years ago.

Wearing aloha shirts and orchid flower lei, the veterans stood on a pier overlooking the sunken hull of the USS Arizona and saluted the flag as a sailor sang "The Star Spangled Banner."

Survivors of each of the nine battleships bombed in the attack took turns setting wreaths before life preservers bearing the names of their ships.

"We're honoring the people who were killed. We're not here for ourselves, we're here for them," said George A. Smith, 83, who was on board the USS Oklahoma the morning of Dec. 7, 1941.

Overall, 2,388 Americans died in the attacks, including some 900 still entombed in the Arizona.

Hawaii Air National Guard helicopters flew over the harbor in "missing man" formation in honor of those lost. B-2 stealth bombers currently deployed to Guam from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri performed an additional flyby.

The crowd of about 2,000 honored the survivors with a standing ovation and several minutes of loud applause.

Smith, of Olympia, Wash., was standing watch on the Oklahoma when he saw planes darting through the sky over the harbor.

"One plane came in, circled, came right down to us. The guy opened the hatch to his plane and dropped his torpedo, waved at me and took off," Smith said. "The next thing I knew there was a big explosion."

He was able to jump overboard, just avoiding being squashed by the capsizing battleship, and then swam ashore.

Smith was among 18 survivors of the Oklahoma who came to Hawaii to help dedicate a new memorial to the vessel after the main ceremony. The battleship for years was the only one of the nine bombed 66 years ago that didn't have it's own memorial, even though it lost 429 sailors and Marines — more than any battleship in the harbor except the Arizona.

"We finally got a memorial. I think it's about time. I think it's about time these guys be remembered in a halfway decent way," said Richard Artley, one of the survivors. His brother died on the ship.

The $1.2 million monument includes 429 white marble standards, each with the name of a fallen sailor or Marine, surrounded by black granite panels etched with a silhouette of the battleship and notable quotes from World War II-era figures that were selected by some of the survivors.

The memorial, on a grassy knoll on Ford Island in the center of Pearl Harbor, sits about 50 yards from where the Oklahoma was moored at the time of the attack. It's likely one of the areas where Oklahoma survivors swam ashore that day.

The Oklahoma was hit with the first torpedo of the morning assault. It capsized after being struck by eight more, trapping 400 men in its overturned hull. About 30 of the trapped men were later rescued by Pearl Harbor Navy Yard workers who hammered their way through the ship's metal.

Retired Navy Cmdr. Tucker McHugh, who co-chaired the USS Oklahoma Memorial Committee, said he thinks the memorial will bring some sense of closure.

"I think there's been a void in the minds and hearts of these shipmates that their shipmates were never honored with a lasting memorial," McHugh said. "Total closure might come when the last survivor passes away and they're all reunited together."

The memorial was built with donations gathered by survivors and from residents of the ship's namesake state.

Edward Vezey, one of the survivors, said he was "moved to tears" by how Oklahomans responded to the call for help.

"It's just a thrill to witness the great rising of the people there to support this whole effort," Vezey said.

___

Associated Press writer Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.

___

On the Net:

www.pearlharbormemorial.com

www.ussoklahoma.com

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Veterans will never forget Day of Infamy
Saturday, December 8, 2007

By JUSTO BAUTISTA
STAFF WRITER


EAST RUTHERFORD -- Emil Deak was a high school student when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the "Day of Infamy" that catapulted America into World War II.

"Most didn't know where Pearl Harbor was," said Deak, now 83. "I knew it was in Hawaii because I was a history buff."

The anxiety level rose to a fever pitch among Deak's class at Garfield High School. Deak joined the Marines and fought with the 1st Division at Peleliu in the South Pacific in 1944.

These days, the retired New Jersey state trooper is in a different kind of fight: drumming up support for Pearl Harbor Day.

Friday night, he was among the handful of veterans from the Veterans Alliance of East Rutherford who attended a brief Pearl Harbor Day commemoration ceremony at Borough Hall Park.

"Attendance at the ceremony is dwindling by attrition ... the guys are dying off," said Deak, who is commander of the Catholic War Veterans St. Joseph Post 633, one of three veterans posts that make up the alliance. "Some of the residents come out, but it's not like it used to be."

Tom Fallon, 89, of Waldwick, was an eyewitness to the beginning and to the end of U.S involvement in the war, and served as a radioman on the destroyer USS Phelps at Pearl Harbor. On Sept. 2, 1945, Fallon was on the cruiser USS Detroit in Tokyo Bay where the Japanese signed surrender terms aboard the battleship USS Missouri. "One thing I knew, we were going home," Fallon said.

Fallon said he will be busy this weekend attending Pearl Harbor ceremonies in Elmwood Park, Hamilton Township and Suffern, N.Y.

Pearl Harbor survivors are dying off, but their sacrifices are not forgotten, said Bill Muehlieb, 85, vice president of the National Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, based in California.

"It seems there is a greater interest since we're sort of fading away," Muehlieb said. "That interest is engendered by our current situation, the Iraq war."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Memorial honors 429 lost in battleship Oklahoma

By By Audrey McAvoy, Associated Press

Saturday, December 8, 2007

A few dozen graying Pearl Harbor survivors observed a moment of silence on Friday in honor of their comrades who died in the Japanese bombing of Oahu 66 years ago.

Wearing aloha shirts and orchid leis, the veterans stood on a pier overlooking the sunken hull of the USS Arizona and saluted the flag as a sailor sang The Star Spangled Banner.

Survivors of each of the nine battleships bombed in the attack took turns setting wreaths before life preservers bearing the names of their ships.

"We're honoring the people who were killed. We're not here for ourselves, we're here for them," said George A. Smith, 83, who was on board the USS Oklahoma the morning of Dec. 7, 1941.

Overall, 2,388 Americans died in the attacks, including about 900 still entombed in the Arizona.

Smith, of Olympia, Wash., was standing watch on the Oklahoma when he saw planes darting through the sky over the harbor.

"One plane came in, circled, came right down to us. The guy opened the hatch to his plane and dropped his torpedo, waved at me and took off," Smith said. "The next thing I knew there was a big explosion." He was able to jump overboard, just avoiding being squashed by the capsizing battleship, and then swam ashore.

Smith was among 18 survivors of the Oklahoma who came to Hawaii to help dedicate a new memorial to the vessel after the main ceremony. The Oklahoma lost 429 sailors and Marines - more than any battleship in the harbor except the Arizona.

The $1.2 million monument includes 429 white marble standards, each with the name of a fallen sailor or Marine, surrounded by black granite panels etched with quotes selected by some of the survivors.

The Oklahoma was hit with the first torpedo of the morning assault. It capsized after being struck by eight more, trapping 400 men in its overturned hull. About 30 of the trapped men were later rescued by Pearl Harbor Navy Yard workers who hammered their way through the ship's plating.

Retired Navy Cmdr. Tucker McHugh, who co-chaired the USS Oklahoma Memorial Committee, said he thinks the memorial will bring some sense of closure.

"I think there's been a void in the minds and hearts of these shipmates that their shipmates were never honored with a lasting memorial," McHugh said.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Article published Dec 8, 2007
Pearl Harbor more than history to many
By LINDA MARTZ
News Journal
MANSFIELD -- Linda Hooks' father, a former U.S. Marine lance corporal stationed on Oahu during World War II, rarely told lengthy stories of surviving Pearl Harbor.

But one detail he shared about his experiences on Dec. 7, 1941, created an indelible impression.

Theodore Karabinus Sr. was among the American soldiers who did what they could to defend their military base during the sneak attack.

"The planes flew so low, they felt like they could shoot at them," Hook said. "My dad said he could see right into the eyes of the kamikaze pilots."

He was among a group that forcibly overpowered a sergeant at arms who refused to allow soldiers access to stored rifles, because he didn't realize what was happening.

"They just said 'we're taking them anyway.' "

The Woodville Road woman, vice state chairwoman of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, was guest speaker at ceremonies at AMVETS Local 26 Friday evening, honoring those involved in Pearl Harbor.

Ceremonies included a 21-gun salute and taps.

Hooks said her father, the Cleveland-born son of immigrants from Hungary, died Jan. 2, 2000, at age 81.

"He still owned his own home, chopped his own wood, and did calisthenics every day," needing only a break during his 90 push-ups, she said.

Her dad was one of a generation who could carry themselves with pride for the way in which they served their country, she said.

Karabinus served in the Marines through the Korean War era -- assigned for a while to work "like a JAG -- but without a law degree." He stayed involved with the Reserves through 1960s, then got active in the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.

Hooks and her husband, Doug, joined the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors four or five years ago, after finding an application in her father's foot locker.

Last year they worked registration tables for the 65th anniversary convention in Hawaii.

"We were fortunate we got to meet a lot of Pearl Harbor survivors. They're very spunky. Some are in wheelchairs, but some are just as healthy as could be," she said.

Those who came to Post 26 Friday night included Pearl Harbor survivor Naomi Kaylor Prout, of Crestline, a civilian with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

She was stationed at Lualualei, just around the corner from Pearl Harbor, for almost a year. Prout was secretary to the colonel responsible for getting equipment to the Pacific Islands in advance of what might become a war.

She told a reporter she was eating breakfast that morning when the telephone rang, and she was asked to get an emergency message to the depot.

"On the way back, the planes were already overhead. They were so low, I could see the pilots in there," she said.

When the second wave of the attack began, they pulled over on the road and watched Japanese planes drop bombs down the smokestack of a hospital ship.

Life was chaotic for a while as Americans struggled to react to the threat.

"For three days, they threw a mattress down by our desks. No one went home -- there was too much to do."

Later, Prout learned that brother Emerson Kaler, a pilot, died in a crash while completing military training.

She continued working with civilian support staff as a court reporter for military court martials, eventually transferring to Tokyo, to work at the war crime trials.

AMVETS Post Commander John Amos said it's estimated 5,000 survivors of Pearl Harbor are alive today, including 25 from the USS Arizona.

Ellie