Dec. 7, 2008 Monroe (La) News Star.
Gus Petterson was on his bunk at Ford Island smoking a cigarette. He was a mess cook and had just finished serving meals when an aircraft machinist mate ran downstairs yelling that they were being attacked. Some didn't believe him and threw their shoes because they'd been sleeping.
From the third floor of the barracks he watched the Arizona get hit and saw sailors blown into the air from it and the California. He also witnessed the spectacular explosion of the destroyer USS Shaw.
His mess hall had been turned into a temporary hospital. Dining tables became operation tables and the kitchen cooler became a morgue.
At one point in the battle, Gus was standing next to a soldier firing a rifle at low-flying planes. He hit the pilot of one and the plane crashed. After the attack, they went out to the crash site and found the dead pilot was wearing a UCLA graduation ring and had a roll of American money. His plane had an American-built propeller and an RCA radio.
More to Come. --Da Coot
No comments:
Post a Comment