Monday, December 24, 2007

Pearl Harbor 66th Anniversary Observance-- Part 1

1. From the December 12th San Luis Obispo, Ca., Tribune.

Ten Pearl Harbor Survivors and their families gathered at Steamers of Pismo for a complimentary lunch on Dec. 7th. This annual event started at F. McLintock's Saloon. The saloon manager had noticed that Pearl Harbor survivors were gathering every Dec. 7th to share experiences and memories. The event has grown ever since.

John Ferlo of Oxnard said, "It was chaos. I don't know if anybody had control of anything. It was big confusion."

2. December 12th El Paso, Tx, Times- "Pearl Harbor survivors remember deadly attack" by David Crowder.

Four Pearl Harbor survivors:Elmer Gaugher, Marshal Nelson, Ray Peevey, and Charles Ward met at the Ambrosio Guillen Texas State Veterans Home in northeast El Paso. This facility houses 129 veterans and about 92 % are from WWII.

Charles Ward, 91- "What a way to wake up at five after seven with a bomb going off outside your window." He was the oldest of the four and had been in the Army Air Corps 12 years at the time of Pearl Harbor.

"I enlisted for Hawaii, and it was a good place to be in those days before the war came along. After that, it wasn't so good." Later, Mr. Ward went on thirty bombing missions without injury.

Elmer Gaugher still has his December 7th extra edition newspaper with huge headlines "War! Oahu bombed by Japanese planes.

The Greatest Generation!! --Cooter

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