Dec.
7 attack seared into memory
CENTRALIA -- The USS West Virginia trapped
70 sailors when it sank to the bottom of Pearl Harbor after
six torpedo hits Dec. 7, 1941.
Three
sailors survived under the warm waters in a compartment for
at least two weeks.
Stories
preserved for all time Originally
published December 8, 2001
TUMWATER
-- Thomas C. "Tomcat" Nelson was 21 when he lived through
the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The
Yelm resident saw the bombs dropping in front of him. He lost
friends in the fight. And yet he would take Dec. 7, 1941,
over Sept. 11, 2001, any time. click
here for the full story
America
pauses to remember Originally
published December 8, 2001
PEARL
HARBOR, Hawaii -- With the nation in the throes of another war
started by a sneak attack, Americans marked Friday's 60th anniversary
of Pearl Harbor with appeals to their countrymen to fight terrorism
with the same valor shown by the World War II generation.
click here for the full story
Pearl Harbor + 60 South Sound veterans recall service
in World War II Originally
published December 2, 2001
OLYMPIA -- Tenino resident George Smith was a 17-year-old sailor
on the USS Oklahoma when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor
in 1941.
He swam through burning, oil-covered water to get away from
his capsizing battleship minutes after the attack began, then
later helped haul ammunition and recover dead sailors from the
USS California. click here for the full
story
Those
who served
First-person
essays about South Sound veterans' experiences during World
War II
Originally
published December 2, 2001 'Selected
to join the prize crew' --
Jack E. Bozarth
During the waning months of World War II, I was serving as
an enlisted crew member of USS Robinson (DD-562). Prior to
the cessation of hostilities between the United States and
Japan, my ship captured and boarded a Japanese gunboat, Ijn
Ataka, in the South China Sea. Once the Ataka stopped and
signaled her surrender, a prize crew from the Robinson was
sent aboard to take charge of her and I was one of those selected
to join the prize crew. click here
for the full story
Originally
published December 2, 2001 'Our
acclaimed Wake Island raid'
-- Maurice A. "Buck" Harmon
I am a native of Ohio. Born and raised in a small city roughly
the size of Olympia, near Cincinnati (a life-long fan of the
Reds). My family was upper middle class until the depression
caused my father to lose his business and face bankruptcy.
click here for the full story
OVER GERMANY
Originally
published December 2, 2001 'A struggle against tyranny'
-- Wally Hoffman
We were all common, ordinary people gathered together from all
walks of life who had been immediately thrust into a series
of life-threatening emotions. Our lives suddenly changed, as
in a very short time we were given a limited technical and emotional
preparation to carry out what we were doing.
click here for the full story
Originally
published December 2, 2001 'I could see the Japanese planes'
-- George Smith
I was awakened at 3 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, to
report to my regular watch on the port ma-chine gun on the battleship
USS Oklahoma. I had the 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. watch.
click here for the full story
