Ed Chlapowski can still see the white smoke rise into the sky right before the USS Arizona exploded.
On that infamous day of Dec. 7, 1941, Chlapowski realized his best friend, Brutus West, was on that ship.
"It hurt terrifically when it happened. You never recover from it," he said.
As the years grow longer and the number of survivors of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor becomes smaller, there's urgency to preserve those memories.
For Chlapowski, 85, the chronology of that Sunday morning 66 years ago may sometimes get the better of him, but the events have never left him.
"Brutus West is still on the Arizona as far as I'm concerned," he said.
As a 19-year-old radioman, Chlapowski had a year of Navy life behind him when the Japanese launched their surprise air attack on the naval base in Hawaii.
He had been stationed at Pearl Harbor for just more than two months under the command of Adm. Husband E. Kimmel, commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet. But Chlapowski had been stationed on the Arizona before that, a fact that makes the loss of the ship even more powerful to him.
The morning of the attack, Chlapowski had been on watch from 4 to 7 a.m., when he took his breakfast break in the submarine base cafeteria.
"I saw the roof blow off at Hickam (Field), and I saw the planes flying in," Chlapowski said. "The plane turned, and I saw the 'meatballs' on the wings and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. It still does. I knew it was the Japs."
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/12/07/news/local/
18-pearlharbor_v.txt
**I realize I just posted two stories on Pearl Harbor but I did that because I really love putting a face (or two) onto history. Besides, I couldn't decide between the two.**
Posted by Mrs Muddy at December 7, 2007 02:29 PM