Just before eight o鈥檆lock on a Sunday morning in December 7, 1941, a Japanese plane appeared in the skies over Pearl Harbor, signalling the beginning of the devastating surprise attack on the U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii.
By the time Japan鈥檚 forces withdrew, they had managed to destroy or damage more than 300 American planes and nearly 20 naval vessels, including eight battleships. The attack killed more than 2,300 American service members, with total U.S. casualty figures topping 3,400.
The day after the Pearl Harbor attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan.
In these videos, drawn from the 2016 History Channel special "The Last Word: 75 Years After Pearl Harbor," U.S. Navy veterans share their first-hand experiences during the historic attack and the war that followed. They discuss their motivations for joining the Navy, their first impressions of the naval base at Pearl Harbor and the many ways in which their lives鈥攁nd the world鈥攚ere changed irrevocably by the events of December 7, 1941.
Paths to Pearl Harbor
With the country mired in the Great Depression, Ed Schuler, Jack Rogo and Nelson Mitchell joined the Navy in part for financial reasons. Some followed boyhood dreams of adventure: Jim Garner quit high school to join, and remembers he was 鈥渓ooking for something exciting.鈥 Texan Jack Holder recalls being thrilled with the opportunity to go to Hawaii, while Bob Fernandez wanted to make some extra money and see the world. 鈥淲hat did I get into?鈥 he says. 鈥淲ar.鈥
Voices:
Ed Schuler, age 95, fire controlman, USS Phoenix (died in 2020)
Jack Rogo, age 95, storekeeper, NAS Ford Island (died in 2019)
Nelson Mitchell, age 96, steward, USS Jarvis (died in 2018)
Jim Garner, age 93, radioman, USS Helena
Stu Hedley, age 95, gunpointer, USS West Virginia (died in 2021)
Jack Holder, age 94, aviation machinist鈥檚 mate, PBY Catalina at NAS (Naval Air Station) Ford Island (died in 2023)
Ray Chavez, age 104, seaman, USS Condor (died in 2018)
Bob Fernandez, age 92, seaman, USS Curtiss
Caught by Surprise
On the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941, Ed Schuler was enjoying some sunshine on the deck of his ship, while Mickey Ganitch was preparing to play in a football tournament. 鈥淪uddenly we heard a buzzing that kept getting鈥igger and bigger,鈥 recalls Lynn 鈥淒oc鈥 Munger. Some thought it was a drill, but when the torpedo planes got close enough, the shocked seamen could see Japan鈥檚 rising sun insignia on them. 鈥淭hen we knew we were for real鈥攊n the war,鈥 Munger says.
Voices:
Ed Schuler, age 95, fire controlman, USS Phoenix (died in 2020)
Mickey Ganitch, age 97, quartermaster, USS Pennsylvania (died in 2022)
Jack Holder, age 94, aviation machinist鈥檚 mate, PBY Catalina at NAS (Naval Air Station) Ford Island (died in 2023)
Lynn 鈥淒oc鈥 Munger, age 98, pharmacist鈥檚 mate, Pearl Harbor Naval Hospital (died in 2017)
Aaron Cook, age 94, aviation machinist鈥檚 mate, NAS Ford Island (died in 2019)
Nelson Mitchell, age 96, steward, USS Jarvis (died in 2018)
Davis Mayes, age 97, radioman, USS Solace (died in 2019)
Stu Hedley, age 95, gunpointer, USS West Virginia (died in 2021)
The First Wave
As the first wave of Japanese bombers hit Pearl Harbor, U.S. Navy servicemen recall the deafening noise, planes thick in the sky and the air filled with smoke and debris. 鈥淏ullets were landing all around me,鈥 Paul Kennedy remembers. Jack Holder recalls hiding in a ditch with his fellow seamen as one of the Japanese pilots fired straight at them, missing them by a few feet. Despite being at a heavy disadvantage, they found a way to fight back. 鈥淚 think everyone knew it was a personal attack down there,鈥 says Jim Garner.
Voices:
J.C. Alston, age 93, seaman, USS California (died in 2021)
Paul Kennedy, age 96, signalman, USS Sacramento (died in 2017)
Bob Fernandez, age 92, seaman, USS Curtiss
Jack Holder, age 94, aviation machinist鈥檚 mate, PBY Catalina at NAS (Naval Air Station) Ford Island (died in 2023)
Alfred Rodriguez, age 95, seaman, USS Bobolink (died in 2019)
Gordon Jones, age 94, aviation machinist鈥檚 mate, PBY Catalina at NAS Kaneohe Bay (died in 2018)
Charlie Boswell, age 95, fireman, USS Tennessee (died in 2019)
James Leavelle, age 96, storekeeper, USS Whitney (died in 2019)
Don Stratton, age 94, seaman, USS Arizona (died in 2020)
John Mathrusse, age 93, seaman, NAS Ford Island (died in 2019)
Jim Garner, age 93, radioman, USS Helena
Destruction on Battleship Row
A primary target of Japan鈥檚 attack was the row of seven U.S. battleships moored along so-called 鈥淏attleship Row.鈥 More than two dozen Japanese planes rained torpedoes down on the fleet, with more than 20 of them finding their targets. Navy veteran Mickey Ganitch, who served on the USS Pennsylvania, recalls the giant fireball produced when ammunition on the ship exploded, and says he was burned over 65-70 percent of his body. Others recall hundreds of U.S. seamen jumping from the ships into oil-covered water. 鈥淵ou didn鈥檛 have no choice,鈥 J.C. Alston says. 鈥淵ou go down with the ship or you jump in the water.鈥
Voices:
Jim Dewitt, age 95, yeoman, USS Antares (alive as of Dec 2022)
James Leavelle, age 96, storekeeper, USS Whitney (died in 2019)
Paul Kennedy, age 96, signalman, USS Sacramento (died in 2017)
Stu Hedley, age 95, gunpointer, USS West Virginia (died in 2021)
Don Stratton, age 94, seaman, USS Arizona (died in 2020)
Mickey Ganitch, age 97, quartermaster, USS Pennsylvania (died in 2022)
Jim Downing, age 103, gunner鈥檚 mate, USS West Virginia (died in 2018)
Jack Holder, age 94, aviation machinist鈥檚 mate, PBY Catalina at NAS (Naval Air Station) Ford Island (died in 2023)
J.C. Alston, age 93, seaman, USS California (died in 2021)
Reaction to the Attack
鈥淥ur country was definitely not ready for a war,鈥 recalls Navy veteran Paul Kennedy. While public opinion had been divided in the United States about entering World War II, that all changed after Japan鈥檚 attack on Pearl Harbor. Jack Holder recalls Admiral Yamamoto鈥檚 observation that his forces had 鈥渁wakened a sleeping giant.鈥 Americans lined up to enlist in the armed forces, and the civilian population mobilized en masse to help the war effort. 鈥淭he women鈥tepped in and did the jobs that the men were doing,鈥 says Mickey Ganitch, while Lester Hartley recalls how 鈥渆very civilian in some manner or another fought the war.鈥
Voices:
Paul Kennedy, age 96, signalman, USS Sacramento (died in 2017)
Jack Holder, age 94, aviation machinist鈥檚 mate, PBY Catalina at NAS (Naval Air Station) Ford Island (died in 2023)
John Mathrusse, age 93, seaman, NAS Ford Island (died in 2019)
Mickey Ganitch, age 97, quartermaster, USS Pennsylvania (died in 2022)
Stu Hedley, age 95, gunpointer, USS West Virginia (died in 2021)
Lester Hartley, age 94, fireman, USS Jarvis (died in 2018)
Learning of Japan's Surrender
Navy veteran Mickey Ganitch recalls arriving at Okinawa on August 12, 1945, and the Japanese torpedo that hit his ship, the USS Pennsylvania, that night. 鈥淚 was so busy鈥rying to identify my own mens鈥 bodies there鈥hile the word got spread out to all the people there that the Japanese asked for peace.鈥 Other veterans discuss the immense relief they felt when they learned of Japan鈥檚 unconditional surrender, and realized they would be heading home for good. 鈥淚t took all the weight off,鈥 says J.C. Alston. 鈥淲e fought the enemy, we defeated the enemy, and that was the end of it,鈥 says Jack Rogo. 鈥淵ou just hope in the future that it never happens again.鈥
Voices:
Mickey Ganitch, age 97, quartermaster, USS Pennsylvania (died in 2022)
Jim Garner, age 93, radioman, USS Helena
J.C. Alston, age 93, seaman, USS California (died in 2021)
Davis Mayes, age 97, radioman, USS Solace (died in 2019)
Ed Schuler, age 95, fire controlman, USS Phoenix (died in 2020)
Stu Hedley, age 95, gunpointer, USS West Virginia (died in 2021)
Jack Rogo, age 95, storekeeper, NAS Ford Island (died in 2019)
Nelson Mitchell, age 96, steward, USS Jarvis (died in 2018)
Ray Chavez, age 104, seaman, USS Condor (died in 2018)
Lasting Impact of War
Veterans speak of the psychological strain of surviving the Pearl Harbor attack and the war that followed, including their experiences with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 get any wounds,鈥 says Ray Chavez; instead, he describes shaking more and more after each battle, until it got so bad he couldn't write his own name. Paul Kennedy says he was sent home and told not to talk about his PTSD. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the worst thing you can do,鈥 he says. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to get it out of your system; you鈥檝e got to talk about it.鈥 Jack Rogo had nightmares for many years, and they only eased after he started talking about his experiences. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 had one in a long, long time,鈥 he says.
Voices:
Lynn 鈥淒oc鈥 Munger, age 98, pharmacist鈥檚 mate, Pearl Harbor Naval Hospital (died in 2017)
Charlie Boswell, age 95, fireman, USS Tennessee (died in 2019)
Ray Chavez, age 104, seaman, USS Condor (died in 2018)
Paul Kennedy, age 96, signalman, USS Sacramento (died in 2017)
Jack Rogo, age 95, storekeeper, NAS Ford Island (died in 2019)