BROTHERS TO THE END PEARL HARBOR SURVIVORS A VANISHING BREED.Byline: Amy Raisin Staff Writer CANYON COUNTRY - The eight Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor, land-locked harbor, on the southern coast of Oahu island, Hawaii, W of Honolulu; one of the largest and best natural harbors in the E Pacific Ocean. In the vicinity are many U.S. military installations, including the chief U.S. veterans gathered on Joe Ceo's shaded patio for their monthly meeting Tuesday understand better than anyone that they are a vanishing breed. ``We're going down, not up,'' said Ernie Reepmaker, 85, who was aboard the USS Sacramento The name USS Sacramento has been borne by three ships in the United States Navy. The first was named for the river, the second for the city in California and the third for both.
The men, many of whom brought their wives, are members of the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association The Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, founded in 1958 and recognized by the United States Congress in 1985,[1] is an organization whose members were at or in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii during the Japanese attack of December 7, 1941. , which boasts about 6,000 members nationwide. The San Fernando Valley chapter lost two members in the past month, but they continue to meet at each other's homes to discuss the monthly agenda, current events and old memories. ``Everybody has their own individual story of what they were doing that morning,'' said Ceo, 81, who served on the destroyer USS Aylwin Four ships in the United States Navy have been named USS Aylwin for John Cushing Aylwin.
Speaking of movies, the men gathered around the table didn't think much of the big-budget film ``Pearl Harbor'' that debuted last year to mediocre reviews. ``It's a soap opera,'' said one. ``For the kids,'' added another. ``It was a love story,'' chimed in a third. The reality of what happened that morning in 1941 is, according to the men who lived through it, more horrifying than any film, book or TV show could convey. ``I was standing on the topside by my anti-aircraft gun, the starboard side of the ship,'' said Joe Mariani, 82, remembering his final moments aboard the battleship battleship, large, armored warship equipped with the heaviest naval guns. The evolution of the battleship, from the ironclad warship of the mid-19th cent., received great impetus from the Civil War. USS California before it sank to the bottom of the harbor. ``When we got hit, my gun jammed. Two torpedoes hit us. When we all got to the topside, we jumped,'' he said. ``The Oklahoma was burning behind us. I swam to the other side, to Ford Island.'' As the men recall their own stories - the veterans in the San Fernando Valley chapter met long after the day of infamy Notoriety; condition of being known as possessing a shameful or disgraceful reputation; loss of character or good reputation. At Common Law, infamy was an individual's legal status that resulted from having been convicted of a particularly reprehensible crime, rendering him - the others often finish their sentences, revealing years of friendship and an inherent understanding of what the veterans experienced. Bill Aupperlee and his twin brother were stationed on the USS USS abbr. 1. United States Senate 2. United States ship USS abbr (= United States Ship) → Namensteil von Schiffen der Kriegsmarine Ralph Talbot, where they used to entertain the troops with song. Aupperlee's destroyer was one of the ships that sped to rescue the men of the doomed USS Indianapolis. ``We spent about 20 hours at full power. After they bombed the Indianapolis, the Japanese came in and lit the oil on fire. Here they are swimming in a bunch of fire,'' Aupperlee said of the American sailors. ``And there were so many sharks. They lost 800 men - a lot of them to the sharks.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) From left, Joe Mariana, George Keane and Michaljevich Nanad share a lifelong bond with fellow Pearl Harbor survivors. (2 -- color) - Joe Ceo, 81 Pearl Harbor survivor David R. Crane/Staff Photographer |
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