America's Heroes

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America's Heroes

  • MY EXPERIENCE IN PEARL HARBOR AS TOLD BY ARTHUR NELSON MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER,WHO SERVED IN THE ARMY FROM 1941-1945.HE IS 87 YEARS OLD AND WAS IN HIS EARLY 20'S WHEN THIS HAPPENED. IT WAS VERY HARD FOR HIM TO TALK ABOUT IT AND HE CRIED A LOT AS HE TOLD THE STORY. WRITTEN BY CANDICE I DID MY TRAINING INFORT BELVOIR,VIRGINIA. I WAS SENT TO PEARL HARBOR IN AUGUST OF 1941. MY UNIT WAS BUILDING BARRACKS ON THE NORTH SHORE WHERE THE BIG AIRPLANES WERE KEPT. FOUR MEN OUT OF MY UNIT INCLUDING MYSELF WERE ASSIGNED TO THE COAST ARTILLERY ON THE BEACH NEAR THE HARBOR. WE STAYED WITH THE COAST ARTILLERY ALL THE TIME. OUR JOB WAS LOADING TRUCKS AND TAKING SUPPLIES TO THE NORTH SHORE. WE LIKED TO WATCH PLANES IN THE HARBOUR GET THEIR BOMBING PRACTICE BY DROPPING BOMBS ON SHARKS, YES ON SHARKS. AS SOON AS THEY BLEW UP A SHARK A BUNCH OTHERS WOULD SWARM IN AND EAT IT UP. WE STAYED AT SCOTTSFIELD BARRACKS AND COULD SEE THE SPIRES OF THE BIG SHIPS IN THE HARBOUR FROM THERE. THAT SUNDAY MORNING DECEMBER 7,1941 ,MYSELF AND THE 3 MEN IN MY GROUP HAD GOTTEN UP EARLY AND GOT READY FOR CHURCH. WE WERE OUTSIDE THE COAST ARTILLERY KITCHEN WAITING FOR THE KITCHEN TO OPEN FOR BREAKFAST AND STANDING AND WATCHING OUR PLANES FLYING BACK AND FOURTH (TRAINING,FLYING FROM THE NORTH SHORE TO THE HARBOR AND DROPPING THEIR BOMBS). THEN 1 OF THE COAST ARTILLERY MEN JOINED US GETTING READY TO OPEN THE KITCHEN. ALL OF A SUDDEN WE STARTED HEARING A DIFFERENT SOUND. THEN A PLANE FLEW OVER HEAD THAT SOUNDED DIFFERENT THEN OURS AND 1 OF THE MEN SAID, THE MUST BE HAVING MANUEVERS EARLY THIS MORNING.ANOTHER SAID THEY AREN'T SUPPOSED TO HAVE MANUEVERS ON SUNDAY MORNING.THEN THE MAN FROM THE COAST ARTILLERY SAID BOYS THATS NOT OUR PLANES,THEMS THE JAPANESE COMING TO BOMB US. THE COAST ARTILLERY MAN TOLD US TO GO TO THE COVERED PORCH BEHIND THE KITCHEN WHERE THE TRUCKS WERE PARKED AND SIT WITH OUR BACKS AGIANST THE BLOCK WALL AND STAY THERE.THERE WERE 4 SETS OF THE JAPANESE PLANES. THEY WERE BOMBING US, THE HARBOR AND THE NORTH SHORE ALL AT THE SAME TIME. THEY STARTED DROPPING BOMBS DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE MESS HALL AND KITCHEN AND THEN ON THE BARRACKS THEN ACROSS THE SHIP YARDS AND THE HARBOR. 3 OTHER MEN HAD RUN INTO THE BARRACKS AND HID UNDERNEATH SOME BUNKS. THEY DROPPED A BOMB ON THE KITCHEN AND THE STOVE EXPLODED. THERE WERE MEN TAKING COVER UNDERNEATH THE TRUCKS TOO. WE WERE SCARED AND IT FELT LIKE IT LASTED FOREVER. 2 OF THE BATTLESHIPS SAW THEM COMING AND GOT OUT OF THE HARBOR BEFORE THE JAPANESE COULD SINK THEM AND STARTED FIRING BACK AT THE PLANES. ALL THE REST OF THE SHIPS IN THE HARBOR WERE SUNK. AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR THEY STOPPED BOMBING WHERE WE WERE AT AND WERE JUST OVER THE HARBOR BOMBING. THEY GATHERED EVERYONE TOGETHER AND STARTED HEAD COUNT AND LOOKING FOR SURVIVORS.NOONE IN OUR GROUP GOT KILLED.i CLIMBED INTO THE RUBBLE OF THE BARRACKS LOOKING FOR MEN IN THER AND THEY ALL MANAGED TO GET OUT WITHOUT GETTING HURT ALSO. WE WALKED DOWN TO THE HARBOR TO SEE THE DAMAGE THERE. IT WAS STILL BEING BOMBED. IT WAS AWFUL. THERE WERE BODIES AND BODY PARTS FLOATING ALL OVER THE TOP OF THE WATER AND THE JAPANESE WOULD DROP A BOMB ON THEM AND THEY WOULD FLY WAY UP IN THE AIR. AND THATS WHEN i STARTED CRYING. i SAT DOWN AND CRIED FOR A LONG TIME. WHEN ALL THE BOMBING STOPPED, THEY TOLD US TO GO TO THE BEACH AND START FILLING UP SAND BAGS TO SURROUND THE GENERALS HEADQUATERS WHICH WERE AIR-CONDITIONED CAVES BACK IN A HILL. THEY HAD ALL THEIR EQUIPMENT BACKIN THERE SO THEY COULD HEAR OR SEE ANYONE COMING. WE FILLED SANDBAGS FOR ABOUT A WEEK TO SURROUND THE OPENING OF THE CAVE. EVENTUALLY WE GOT A CEMENT MIXER AND BUILT CONCRETE BUNKERS THAT THE ONLY WAY YOU COULD GET INTO THE CAVES WAS TO GET DOWN ON YOUR BELLY AND CRAWL IN. THE JAPANESE WERE STILL COMING DURING THE NIGHT AND DROPPING BOMBS ON US. WE ALSO HAD LAND AND SEA TANKS, WE CALLED THEM DUCKS, THAT WOULD WOULD DRIVE DOWN TO THE BEACH AND FILL UP WITH SAND AND SURROUND OUR BUILDINGS WITH. SO THE SAND WOULD TAKE THE IMPACTOF THE BOMBS. WE DID ALOT OF CRYING THAT FIRST WEEK. WE SLEPT IN THE CAVES AND i SLEPT RIGHT NEXT TO THOSE BIG AIRCONDITIONERS. YOU GET USED TO THE NOISE. WE DID THAT FOR ABOUT THREE MONTHS. MY RANK WAS TECHNICIAN 5TH GRADE. THEY WANTED TO PROMOTE ME TO CAPTAIN BUT i DIDNT WANT TO BECAUSE I KNEW I WOULD BE MOVED TO THE FRONT LINE. MY BEST FRIEND GOT PROMOTED TO LIEUTENANT AND THEN TO CAPTAIN AND THEY SENT HIM TO KOREA TO THE FRONT LINE AND i NEVER COULD FIND HIM AGIAN.I GUESS HE DIED OVER THERE. WE HAD A SET OF BIG GUNS A LITTLE WAYS BEHIND THE BARRACKS POINTED TOWARDS THE OCEAN CALLED 155'S. THE JAPANESE HAD TAKEN OVER A SMALL ISLAND ACROSS FROM US CALLED TEN-YUN. THEY HAD 2 BIG GUNS MOUNTED ON TRACKS AND WOULD FIRE AT US AND THEN WHEN WE STARTED FIRING BACK THEY WOULD ROLL THEIR GUNS BACK INTO THE CAVE ON THOSE TRACKS. BUT WE STILL MANAGED TO GET 1 OF THEM.ONE TIME A BOMB CAME AT THE TRUCK WE WERE IN AND BOUNCED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRUCK AND WENT INTO A FIELD AND IT NEVER DID GO OFF. i GUESS IT WAS A DUD. i WAS STATIONED IN PEARL HARBOR UNTIL SOMETIME IN 1943. In Honor And Remembrance

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