2008 USS Arizona Survivors' Reunion
At Pearl Harbor
It was the first week of December
2008 and some of the last living survivors from the battleship USS Arizona
gathered at Pearl Harbor to remember, and to honor fallen shipmates. For
those of us blessed enough to accompany them on their pilgrimage, it was a time
to honor them, as well as the fallen. On this occassion I was lucky enough
to have my 10-year old daughter with me as well, who has known some of these
legendary men most of her life.
The above photo shows the attending survivors and shipmate posed in front of the
mural at the USS Arizona visitor's center. They are, from the left on the
back row, Milton Hurst, Lauren Bruner, Lou Conter, Joe Langdell; front row Ed
Wenzlaff, Glenn Lane, and Tom Traylor.
(see photos 03-06)
During the week of the
reunion, there was, as always, plenty of casual time together with the
survivors and their families. At left is my daughter with survivor
Milton Hurst; when the Arizona's magazines exploded, he was standing on
the quarterdeck near Turret 3 fighting fires. Next is a photo of
survivors Lane, Wenzlaff and his daughter, and shipmate Traylor at the
annual banquet. During the banquet, our guest speaker was Tom
Kimmel, grandson of Admiral Husband Kimmel, who was the commander of the
Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor during the attack. Mr. Kimmel has
spent many years trying to clear his grandfather's officially disgraced
name.
Finally at right, my daughter quickly learned that the incredible
pineapple in Hawaii is one of the tastiest treats around, nothing like
what we get on the mainland.
Click on
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(see photos 07-10)
This year, December 7th fell on a
Sunday, just as it did that infamous day of 1941. On this day we gathered
at the USS Arizona Memorial not only to remember and to honor, but also to inter
the ashes of a survivor who had passed away. While the tourists were vacating
the memorial, we had time on the shore to look, and to ponder. Shortly
after the above photo of my daughter with survivor Glenn Lane was taken, I asked
him if it ever got any easier coming back to this place. "No."
he answered with a quick shake of the head. "It never gets any
easier." Lane was actually blown off the ship in the magazine
explosion, and swam to the battleship Nevada, which also went down.
Aboard the boat which took the survivors and us to the memorial built over the
wreck of the Arizona, I was deeply honored when I was allowed to
serenade all with "The Navy Hymn" and "Amazing Grace" on the
flute. Once we docked at the memorial, the survivors were allowed to
disembark first along with an attending family member.
(see photos 11-14)
Today we interred the ashes of survivor Charles Guerin into the wreck of the Arizona,
to rejoin his shipmates. I found it even more special that Mr. Guerin's
battle station was in turret 4, and by remarkable chance it is in the location
of turret 4 that survivors ashes are interred! This was the second
interment I have been privileged to witness, and I can tell you it is
one of the most profound and moving ceremonies imaginable. The ceremony
itself is fairly simple; after two short eulogies, including one by his son, the
ashes are presented to a team of National Park Service divers who then carry
them with stunning reverence to their final resting place in the wreck of the
battleship.
The second photo above is incredible to me; I feel a bit guilty for taking it,
but it was such an incredible moment. After the divers submerge, and after
the 21-gun salute, "Taps" is played by two trumpeters. The man
near the camera, in front of the trumpet, is survivor Lauren Bruner. He is
one of the only survivors from the front section of the ship, high up in the
foremast. He and three others were very badly burned as they climbed
hand-over-hand across a line thrown to them by the ship moored next to them as
their ship sank and burned. What this man must be "seeing" at
this moment must be incredible, and crushing.
All in all, it was an incredible experience, and even some members of the Navy
honor guard was struggling to maintain their composure.
(see photos 15-18)
One of the special guests at the ceremony was the now-famous "Other
Twin" of the USS Utah. This woman's father was an officer aboard the
Utah, which still lies partially submerged on the other side of Ford Island.
It was not long before the attack that one of his two newborn twin daughters was
stillborn, and she was cremated and he had her ashes with him aboard the Utah at
the time of the attack. The baby's remains are still in the ship, but her
twin still lives today.
After dropping flowers to honor the eternally-serving crew of the Arizona, we
paid our respects to the wall with the names of the 1,177 of her crew who
perished. In the last photo, survivor Milton Hurst happily and
energetically hugged my daughter; in fact, he surprised me by seeming quite
radiant. I did ask him why, and I wish I could remember his exact wording,
but it was to the effect of, to him this place was a reminder of the joyous gift
of life, and how very precious it is.
As of this writing, it has now been a decade since I was blessed to become a
part of these legendary men's organization. Getting to know them over this
time has profoundly touched and affected me forever, and I am eternally thankful
for every moment I have spent with them.
Andrew Desautels
Click on
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