Old Pearl Harbor warriors to gather anew

A visitor to the USS Arizona Memorial, studies the names of those who died on Dec. 7, 1941. Advertiser library photo • Dec. 7, 1996

By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer

Bill Hughes plans to gather his children and reflect on the past 60 years of his life, a mai tai in hand.

Dick Fiske figures he will be overcome with tears.

And Paul Goodyear knows he will be thinking about the bullets. On that Sunday morning when so many young men died, enemy bullets missed his head by inches.

As aging survivors of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, the men know their last hurrah is almost here. They will converge on Honolulu in the coming days to mark the 60th anniversary of the attack with speeches, ceremonies and farewells.

More than 2,200 people are expected for the reunion, but only one-fourth of them are actual survivors of the Japanese attack. The rest are family members here to honor the heroes of another generation.

"This anniversary is important," said Hughes, an 80-year-old former crew member of the battleship USS Utah. "It's a marker in our lives."

The USS Utah Survivors Association is one of several reunion groups expected. The Navy will have a sunset service Dec. 6 for about 10 of the ship's survivors, said Hughes, who will travel from the Dallas-Fort Worth area for the ceremonies.

The Utah, which had been a training vessel, still lies capsized on the back side of Ford Island with the bodies of 54 sailors entombed inside. A rarely visited memorial is near the ship.

"I've looked forward to looking at the hull of that ship and the memorial and reflecting back on the last 60 years, starting with that day, and maybe counting my blessings," Hughes said.

The National Park Service, curators of the USS Arizona Memorial, has organized a five-day conference at the Hilton Hawaiian Village that will lead up to the Dec. 7 ceremonies.

"It is going to be a whole lot of tears saying the last goodbyes." — Dick Fiske Served aboard the battleship USS West Virginia

The world premieres of two documentaries — one from the Discovery Channel, the other from the History Channel — will focus on the battleship USS Arizona. Each offers new footage of the attack and the ship, including footage shot inside the Arizona with a small, remotely operated camera.

"People can come to this conference and hear from pilots and hear from civilians and hear from people from the ships," said Daniel Martinez, historian for the Arizona Memorial. "We have at this conference the ability to hear about this attack that is unprecedented."

On the anniversary, with 4,500 people expected over the course of the day, the public can choose from two ceremonies, but will not be allowed to tour the Arizona Memorial.

Interest in the anniversary has come from all over the country. The park service has already received 30 wreaths from individuals and veterans groups.

It will be a prelude to a passing, said Fiske, a Marine bugler who served aboard the battleship USS West Virginia.

"It is going to be a whole lot of tears saying the last goodbyes," said the 79-year-old Fiske, tears flowing even as he spoke.

"You will see that," said Fiske, a Honolulu resident. "We know in our hearts this is going to be the last time."

That's the reason so many survivors will be joined by their extended families, Fiske said.

"They want their families to see where grandpa was," he said. "I think that's wonderful."

But they also want to see each other because their ranks keep shrinking, said Goodyear, an 83-year-old member of the USS Oklahoma Survivors Association.

The group had planned on bringing 16 survivors until two of them were told by their doctors that they had to stay home.

Goodyear takes that kind of news personally. For years, he has tried to keep the Oklahoma survivors informed about each other.

"When a guy dies, I let the other guys know," said Goodyear, who lives near Tucson, Ariz. "When a guy is in the hospital, I tell the guys to send him a card. I am just trying to keep the crew together. I still think we are a damn good crew, and we need each other."

It is a bond, forged in battle, that extends beyond death. This too, will be a part of the 60th anniversary.

Park service officials will place two urns inside the hull of the Arizona that contain the ashes of two crewmen. The Navy also will scatter the ashes of eight survivors at various locations in the harbor.

"They just desire to return after they die, to be with their shipmates," said Jim Taylor, a retired master chief petty officer who volunteers his time to organize the Navy ceremonies.

The requests are honored all year, but seem more poignant on the anniversary of the attack.

"It really doesn't surprise me when you think about what war is all about, if you have been fighting side by side," he said. "It is like being with your wife."

Jerry Johnston will bring the ashes of his father, George Johnston, who served aboard the destroyer USS Mugford. About 40 family members will be flying from the Mainland to participate.

The Japanese attack left an indelible mark on the elder Johnston's psyche, his son said.

"On December 7, he was an 18-year-old kid and his brain didn't believe what his eyes were seeing," said Jerry Johnston, who lives in Long Beach, Calif. "And every day of his life he woke up remembering that."

The twist in the Johnston story is that it was the younger Johnston's idea to bring the ashes to Pearl Harbor. George Johnston, a resident of the Northern California town of Clearlake, had been sick for a year. He died March 9.

"He wanted his ashes scattered at sea," Jerry Johnston said. "But when he died, I got to thinking about it and said I have a better idea. I talked to the family, and we all thought it was a good idea."

Father and son had planned to travel to Hawai'i for the 60th anniversary ceremonies.

"He was all excited about it," Johnston said. "Well, he didn't make it, but he is going anyway."

Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8012.