He gazes at the picture. For an hour or so, the two men talk. "They paid me by the day," he said. In 1971, Stratton was working long hours with a diving outfit on a nuclear power plant project not far from Santa Barbara. "Lou, let's go to flight school," Conter's buddy said one day. Many have since died. As the 50thanniversary of the attack neared, Langdell got a call from a documentary filmmaker. During WW2, did sailors get eaten by sharks? - Quora His dad has never sought recognition for his service on the Arizona and barely talks about the day of the attack. All those sailors from all those places and here was a guy who was practically a neighbor. did sharks eat pearl harbor victims. His mother suggested Hills Business College in Oklahoma City. They had voted. He owns a chunk of the ship's burned deck, a reminder he keeps in a box with a few other items. They listened for their names and their service branch. "I got another ship for you," the officer said at last. He jumped into the harbor, even though he had never passed his swimming test. Nightmares invade his sleep when he remembers those final moments. In the documentary, "The Life and Death of a Lady," Langdell and Abe speak, side by side on the memorial. He has told her about his escape from the Arizona. As they walked toward it, Langdell reeled at an odor. Usually, sharks will prioritize eating: Smaller fish. he met his contact and not long after, he was standing in for Orson Welles in a scene from the movie "The Stranger.". Stratton logged thousands of miles of travel. Before the attack, many Americans were reluctant to become involved in the war in Europe. In 2006, Langdell walked along the steep shoreline of Ford Island, the Arizona memorial in the background. He returned after the war to his home along the railway in eastern Oklahoma. Haerry accepted the medal, but found he could not speak. Their backs are gray, blue, or brown in color and covered with regularly arranged light spots. The worst shark attack in recorded history also happened to be a disaster for the US Navy. "I'd already sent word, even before the first one got there," he says. They met at a dance at the YWCA on North State Street. Late in the year, after an overhaul in San Francisco, the Coghlan returned to patrol duty off the Aleutians with a half dozen other U.S. vessels. And he still likes to talk about that other young fellow from Oklahoma, the one who didn't make it home. The mast and towers near the bow tilted at a sickening angle. June 12, 2022 June 12, 2022 0 Comments June 12, 2022 0 Comments He's more like family than just a friend.". They struck up a conversation and, after a brief courtship, married. Doctors treated him and he recovered, but the his fingers never healed properly. Civilian Casualties - Pearl Harbor National Memorial (U.S. National He was nervous about volunteering for anything, but he raised his hand. Whale sharks can grow to 65 feet in length and weigh up to 75,000 pounds. On a fall day in 1945, John Anderson teetered on the base of a church steeple 110 feet above the ground. He wanted to part of it. Potts was returning to the Arizona with fresh produce when the first Japanese bombers dove into Pearl Harbor. A total of 2,403 Americans died in the tragic attack 80 years ago and for many families there was never closure as bodies remained unidentified or left amongst the wreckage. The Langdells ended up honeymooning in Monterey and Carmel on the central California coast. While this is a genuine threat to safety, it continues to remain statistically unlikely. Five years later, in 2011, he got a call from the band director at Timpview High School in Provo. At dawn on December 7, 1941, more than half of the United States Pacific Fleet, approximately 150 vessels and service craft, lay at anchor or alongside piers in Pearl Harbor. Anderson had finished his first day as a Hollywood stunt man. Framed medals. That led to a job in Roswell, the Sagebrush Serenade and Elvis Presley. Nobody was expecting anything like that.". He asked what the fellow did. He was on his own once again, he and his young family. Hetrick still likes to talk about the new shoes he bought the day before the attack in Honolulu. He got to know Alan Ladd, who had starred in a series of war movies. Schenkelberg was no stranger to hardships . Debris from the Arizona showered the Tennessee's stern and started fires, but the vessel stayed afloat. Hetrick thought about it. Some of 'em made it, some of 'em landed on the deck. The Coghlan left San Francisco in September 1942 and sailed toward Pearl Harbor for an assignment. That same year, he met his wife, Valerie, in Palm Springs. The unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor killed more than 2,400 Americans and struck a blow to the Navy's Pacific fleet, which had been based at Pearl Harbor. The sea turned rough, tossing the ship with 40-foot swells, bouncing the vessel like a rubber ball in a washing machine. By 1991, the 50thanniversary of the attack, the number of living Arizona crewmen had shrunk. I'd been told things like that before. "Remember Pearl Harbor!" became a rallying cry for the U.S. during World War II. I heard the general say, 'You're a remarkable guy.' A while later, he and Marietta were on the road again, to a missile base in Sturgess, S.D., to gas lines in Wisconsin and North Dakota. They are the marks of a survivor, 73 years on. There was a tradition at the end of training that the graduates would give the chief a silver dollar. The Pearl Harbour . He has trouble remembering the past. Before the war started, a hospital stay that long would have earned a sailor a discharge, but not anymore. Helpless, I watched your bomb sink the Arizona in nine minutes.". He was assigned a battle station in the No. And he has watched with dismay the changes in survival training. This all changed when the United States declared war on Japan, bringing the country into World War II. north but again I'm not a shark expert. December 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor Casualties - Pearl Harbor His oldest son had joined the Navy and his first posting was aboard the USS Ouellet, a frigate. On the 70thanniversary of the attack, the men had been brought to the state capitol to receive new honors. A few years ago, the Cooks attended a fund-raising dinner at a local American Legion post. He clears his throat. His work turned toward survival training in a new military program called SERE, for Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape. They eventually bought a home-furnishings outlet farther inland and finally built their own store in Yuba City, north of Sacramento. 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. Farther down the paneled wall hangs a painting of the USS Arizona, the battleship Navy recruit Potts boarded in December 1939. Potts says, shaking his head. By April 1940, the Navy seemed like a good idea and by summer, he was on board the Arizona, stationed at Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. His old co-pilot in the New Guinea days was asked once if he'd had survival training for the war. He tried to keep his thoughts on the work in the office. We were going to have a date the next day. "The Navy Department deeply regrets to inform you that your son Louis Anthony Counter quartermaster third class US Navy is missing following action in the performance of his duty.". "These guys were the first heroes of the war, even though the war hasn't been declared," Ray Jr. says. USS Indianapolis at Mare Island. "No," the worker said. It is a piece of rigging used to secure a mooring line from a ship. pearl harbor 1941. uss arizona. "Mr. Langdell, Mr. Langdell, you've got to come here quick," he said. The ship was still a day away from Honolulu when the captain received new orders. After so many years of travel, the Cooks have settled into a more tranquil pace. It took more courage on your part to present this wreath than it did for me to accept it.". 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. I had to take them to the parties and sit there until it was over.". The face plate is glass and around the bottom are screws that would secure it to the diving suit. "Sure, let's see it." The man told him later he had broken both his hips in one of the explosions and had survived only because Hetrick was there to urge him on. For a long time, he didn't think he would ever return to Pearl Harbor. "It just didn't appeal to me to bring it up," he says. The things I don't want to remember was the blood.". He struggles to speak at times (though when he's feeling good, he likes to flirt with the nurses). They generally prefer the shallows in temperate, tropical regions, which is usually where divers and surfers come into contact with them and potentially become the victims of shark trauma. He and Libby moved west to Walnut Creek east of San Francisco. He would answer questions, but in short bursts of description, with no emotion. Other crewmen would roll out the shell, use a mechanical device to ram it in, then load four bags of powder behind it. For Haerry, McBride had a the state's highest military honor, the Rhode Island Cross. As they talked, Ray mentioned that his dad had been aboard the Arizona. He acknowledged the wreath. It wasn't, but the flash was a reminder, as if he needed anything more. The Stratton men have taken up a more personal cause. WWII veteran, thought to be oldest survivor of Pearl Harbor attack Langdell took a right turn instead of a left and the newlyweds didn't realize their mistake until they stopped for gas in Gilroy, about 80 miles south of San Francisco. He needed a truck to carry equipment back and forth, so he scouted out a car lot and bought a 1965 Chevrolet pickup. "I said goodbye and left.". He sits in his wheelchair as his son recites the narrative, keeping his father's story alive. 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. 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. Only 35 dead were . The story follows two lifelong friends and a beautiful nurse who are caught up in the horror of an infamous Sunday morning in 1941. The next night, an American PT boat retrieved all 10 men. On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Cook was changing clothes at his locker, savoring the thought of a day in Honolulu with the $60 he'd won in a craps game the night before. He says that decision was the best thing he could have done. Inside deadliest shark attack EVER as 150 sailors from USS Indianapolis Stratton could not. The Saratoga was attacked by six Japanese suicide bombers within about 24 hours. For years, Stratton wore the scars from the Arizona without talking about them much. Calhoun quizzed Conter about his posting, his job on the ship. 2,614 Pearl Harbor Attack Premium High Res Photos He said he wanted Anderson to join the on-air staff. He moved to Provo and sold cars until 1990. He was treated there for four months. He saw action across the South Pacific, patrolled areas where suicide bombers were attacking American destroyers. He said, 'whatever I can get out of you.' The owner said, 'give it a name and say who are. Alcohol. @webtv.net wrote in message. He was the opening act for country superstar Hank Snow that night at the North High School auditorium. These Photos Of The Pearl Harbor Attack Are Still Shocking Decades Later "A day that will live in infamy." By . Deer and rabbits wander the hillside. Stratton falls easily into the memories of his years on diving boats. Inside, he found broken bottles scattered in a soggy soup of booze and cardboard. Almost imperceptibly, he sways. Finally, the Navy gave him a medical discharge. It's in good shape for a paper.". But the war was over. 3 min read. He told Ray about the plans to honor Pearl Harbor survivors at the statehouse. "I just didn't want to. When she says anything, I tell her I'm catching up from the war.". did sharks eat pearl harbor victimshavelock wool australia. Bruner keeps mementos of his time on the Arizona in the sitting room. Inside the packets were the captains' new orders, military secrets, classified information that required clearance to handle. alain picard wife / ap calculus bc multiple choice / did sharks eat pearl harbor victims. Anderson demanded to know. DES MOINES, Iowa - A World War II veteran thought to be the oldest survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack died last month at 103. Tall pines tower over the house. But he could not be prepared for what he found on the charred hulk of the battleship. They were trying to replenish submarines or send smaller ships in. did sharks attack titanic survivors. Haerry sailed on Navy ships through World War II and again during the Korean conflict. Three years ago, Ray Jr. received a call from a lieutenant colonel in the Rhode Island National Guard. Pentagon to exhume remains of 400 Pearl Harbor Marines and sailors Photographs. Before sharks became movie villains, they were celebrated in myths "Not Navy ships, other ships. How remains of personnel killed in Pearl Harbor are - NewsNation 3 gun turret. "Iremember hearing explosions at first," he says. It hastened the United States' entry . Toward the end the war, Langdell was stationed in the Philippines, at a base in Manila. In January, another ship took him to San Francisco to the Navy hospital on Treasure Island. At Kulangsu, an international settlement on an island off the southern Chinese coast, Anderson's unit ran into the French Foreign Legion, who had been cornered by Japanese soldiers on a high ridge. 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. Three days since the war started. He was attending midshipman's school at Northwestern University. "We saved people on commercial ships on the seas, we rescued missionaries in the interior of China, we shot up a bunch of pirates," Anderson said. 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. "He wanted the east coast, I wanted the west coast. Enemy patrol planes spotted the ships and the raid was canceled. Joe had met Elizabeth McGauhy in Chicago half a decade earlier. 4 Comments. Since the 1920s . After about six months of training in San Diego, Hetrick returned to Honolulu and joined the USS Saratoga, the sister ship of the Lexington. He wrote Libby a letter and suggested it would be a good idea if Libby visited her friend on or about a particular date. Over the next year, Anderson would sail across the South Pacific, joining other ships in the American assault on the Marshall Islands, Parry Island and the Palau Islands. As far he was concerned he was saving lives.". "It's where the war started.". He headed east and landed in Paducah, Ky. From there, he worked jobs in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and back to New York, where he welded 20-inch gas lines going through Brooklyn. With eyes too close or two far apart, a crewman could deliver faulty readings. They trade stories. . And it holds deep meaning for Potts, even though he did nothing to win it. The Japanese military had established strategic outposts in the Aleutian Islands and had its eye on Alaska. Bruner was put in charge of the gun batteries. Song's got some zip to it, he said. He brought all of his family: his wife Jeanne, his three sons and their families. And my co-pilot, Lou Conter, saved my life. "So they knew.". "That must be old Clyde Williams," he thought, the Arizona band member killed at Pearl Harbor. The crew unloaded anything they could do without, to keep the damaged hull above the water line. Bass. You need the exercise. A few years after that, they left for Las Vegas, where their son, Bob, and his family help them get around. 1914-1941:The mightiest ship at sea | Dec. 7, 1941: The attack that changed the world| Documentary: 'Witness to Infamy' | 2014: The final toast. "Sometimes, we'd come back, eat, then sleep on the beach.". The fellow he was talking with recognized Anderson's voice and they realized they had served together on the Yangtze Patrol before Pearl Harbor. The Attack on Pearl Harbor | The Beginning of American Involvement in . As he prepared for his new posting on the Frazier, Langdell decided to make a move. amc gremlin for sale washington state did sharks attack titanic survivors. He cleaned and painted day after day, but he also operated the motor boats used to ferry crew members to shore, a job that let him leave the ship periodically. Occasionally, they would close the store and hook a 33-foot trailer to a pick-up truck. His dad operated a livery stable and a small dairy and later earned money as an auctioneer. Bruner and the Coghlan returned to Honolulu and finished out the war in the South Pacific. But he kept most of it to himself until he started meeting up with other survivors, years after he retired from the military. He still tools around town in the truck, but it's a classic now, so he drives it almost as often to car shows.
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