Photo: Andrew Cooper/Touchstone Pictures/Jerry Bruckheimer, Inc.
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Pearl Harbor Memories
'I'll never forget the faces of the men trapped in the engine room.' Read more first hand accounts of Pearl Harbor
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The movie Pearl Harbor captures much of the drama and devastation of the surprise attack that thrust the United States into WWII. But even a $145 million big-screen blockbuster can't capture the realism of eyewitness accounts of the fire and fury. With that in mind, our readers have supplied us with dozens of stirring first-hand recollections of that infamous day.
Gordon L. Lavering, a child living on the island at the time, recalls waving to a formation of Japanese planes and seeing one "wiggle its wings back" in recognition. Charles W. Durham recalls the faces of fellow crewman of the U.S.S. Utah, who had been trapped in the engine room of the doomed ship. Aubrey Mahaney remembers swimming through oil-slicked water amid a hailstorm of Japanese machine gun fire, and watching other men "throw up their arms and go under."
AARP The Magazine is proud to share these rare accounts of the events of December 7, 1941. We thank the many readers who sent personal anecdotes. We also thank the Pearl Harbor Remembered organization and U.S.S. Utah Association for their contributions.
Please enjoy the following brief excerpts from the letters—and then link to our Pearl Harbor Forum to read the full accounts and share your views.
Jean Elizabeth Williams Hynes
Was a 10-year-old living on an Army Air Corps base in Hawaii.
"Some of the planes were flying so low, strafing the barracks, we could make out the Japanese pilots in the cockpit. Our car, bedroom windows, and lawn furniture were shot up, and our home was shaking so badly we feared it would collapse."
"My dad came and told us we were being evacuated back to the States on a rubber freighter. The smell on the ship was unbelievable—not just the rubber, but the smell of badly burned men."
Gordon L. Lavering
Was 11 years old, sitting on a cliff with his 13-year-old sister.
"We heard a tremendous roar, and looked to our right. We saw an approaching flight of Japanese aircraft. They were flying so low, we looked down and across the valley to the north and could actually see the profiles of the aircraft crews as they flew by...My sister and I, being young, stood up and waved to the airplanes, and the last aircraft responded by wiggling its wings back."
Rhoda Riddell
Had been dancing late into the night at the Pearl Harbor Officers' Club.
"We stumbled out of the lanai and watched planes circling over Hickam and Wheeler Fields. Small bundles fell, smoke rose. At that moment a plane flew low over us—perhaps 20 feet off the ground. It had a round, orange circle on the wing.' Bob gasped, 'That's the sign of the rising sun!' A round, brown face grinned at us. I think he waved. I know he strafed us. A 50-caliber bullet came through the lanai roof and fell at our feet."
Wilfred J. Toczko, Sr.
On guard duty at Hickam Field.
"A wave of Japanese torpedo bombers came in low, strafing the hangars and the aircraft parked in the runway. The only gun I had was my .45 automatic and 21 rounds of ammunition. I was the only one out there, so I did what came naturally. I shot at them. This may have been the first shots fired in defense of Pearl Harbor."
George D. Phraner
An aviation machinists mate, 1st class, aboard the U.S.S. Arizona.
"At first there was a rush of fear; the blood started to flow real fast. Thick, acrid smoke filled the magazine locker and the metal walls began to get hot. A quick glance around revealed nothing in the darkness but the moaning and sounds of falling bodies."
Robert T. Soper
Was commanding a machine-gun crew on the U.S.S. Curtiss.
"My gun crew fired on a Japanese plane as it came around the stern of the Curtiss. Apparently the pilot was hit, and he dove the plane onto our boat deck. We later found that there was also a man in civilian clothes in the plane. We found a map in his pocket that showed the exact location of every U.S. Navy ship in Pearl Harbor."
Clarence W. Durham
A radioman 3rd class, U.S.S. Utah.
"I will never forget the faces of those men trapped in the engine room. I knew there was no way I could lift those steel grates and I also knew at that point that my chances were very slim of getting out of there myself. I believe I was the next-to-last man alive to leave the ship."
John H. McGoran
Was a 19-year old seaman aboard the U.S.S. California.
"Suddenly a violent lurching shook us all, tossing us around like so many unmuscled puppets. The ship seemed to rise up a foot and then settle back. Allan grabbed at his earphones. 'We're hit,' he cried. 'A torpedo.'"
Beulah D. Fabris
Was recuperating from childbirth in a Honolulu hospital.
"The (radio) program was interrupted by a special bulletin: 'Oahu is under attack by Japanese planes. This is not a drill. This is WAR. All listeners please turn up the volume of your radio so neighbors can hear. I repeat: We are at WAR.'"
"My husband was told to take me and the baby home. My doctor said: 'We need your bed.'"
"Two days after the attack."
"Tuesday afternoon Harry came home from work, moving slowly, like a man in total shock. 'Honey you look terrible.' I put my arms around him 'What happened?'"
'Remember the big vacant lot on the corner of King Street next to the furniture store? It's covered solid, about 12 feet high, with hundreds of wooden coffins.'"
"That was the first indication we had of the enormous number of deaths on the 7th."
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