Sometimes the most horrific memories are also the most important ones to remember…and to
preserve for generations after us. December 7, 2011, marks the 70th anniversary of one of the
most defining moments in American history.
Every U.S. history textbook will tell you that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December
7, 1941, marked the United States’ entrance into World War II. But the history books can’t
tell the stories like the men and women who were there…those who lived the harrowing event
firsthand. There aren’t many of them left to share their story, but those who are still here—now
entering their 90s—have not forgotten what happened that day.
So, I went in search of those stories–those memories—told from the lips of the heroes
themselves. Here is just a sprinkling of the riveting stories I found about Pearl Harbor veterans
recalling their experiences from that fateful day 70 years ago…
Here’s an excerpt of “Pearl Harbor 70 years later: Local veterans recall an event too terrible to
forget,” published December 1, 2011, by Janice Crompton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
When destiny called, they answered.
When the bombs came crashing to earth, they sought refuge -- and sought to make sense of the chaos around them.
Sgt. Art Nagy
When Sgt. Art Nagy closes his eyes and concentrates, he still can smell the sickening stench of burning oil and blood.
"It was chaos," the 89-year-old McKeesport resident recalled, his voice cracking with emotion. "I can remember it still."
Sgt. Nagy, who entered the Army as a private and retired several years later as a sergeant, was sleeping when the attack began at 7:53 a.m. "I woke up from the noise," he recalled.
His barracks were being pummeled by machine gun fire, as men fell around him.
"We tried to hide anywhere we could," he said.
Sgt. Nagy scrambled under his Army-issued cot to escape the fire, but he didn't stay there long.
As the reality of their situation dawned on Sgt. Nagy and the soldiers around him, they hurried to
install communication lines between buildings.
Sgt. Nagy saw something that was also reported by other veterans who were there that day: The Japanese bombers were flying so low that the faces of the pilots were clearly visible to those on the ground.
He described the scene as "horrible," saying that he saw the pilots grinning. They were close
enough that Sgt. Nagy said he might have been able to shoot one with a .45-caliber gun if he'd
had one that day.
After the bombing stopped, they feared the attack would restart at any time.
"Everybody was trigger-happy that night and nervous," Sgt. Nagy recalled.
After his military service, he went on to work as a steelworker for 23 years and raise three sons
with his wife Theresa, who died five years ago.
Pfc. Bernie Ordos
Bernie Ordos has trouble hearing, but he has no trouble remembering.
The 92-year-old West Mifflin man relies on his wife of 71 years, Betty, to relate most of his
story. He was serving in the Army during the attack, stationed at Schofield Barracks at Pearl
Harbor. A private first class, he was wrapping up his shift on guard duty and headed to breakfast when he spotted two planes flying low, headed his way.
"He was walking to the mess hall," Mrs. Ordos, 88, said. "But he didn't have breakfast for the
next two days."
Mrs. Ordos said her husband quickly dove "under about 30 mattresses" in his barracks as "bombs were dropping all around him."
"He said it was terrible," she recalled. "There was black smoke everywhere."
Like others, Pfc. Ordos remembered seeing the faces of the pilots.
"He could see them as plain as day," Mrs. Ordos said. Her husband was so traumatized that he
still has never set foot in an airplane, she said. "He sees that every day. He never gets it off his
mind."
Back at home, an 18-year-old Mrs. Ordos was terrified for her new husband when she heard
about the attacks on her mother-in-law's radio.
"I thought he was going to get killed," said Mrs. Ordos, who just a year before had eloped to
Kentucky to marry her sweetheart. "I thought he was never coming back."
But, Mr. Ordos eventually did come back and spent the next 35 years as a steel worker and father to the couple's three children.
To read the entire article, go to this page:
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Video interviews from Pearl Harbor survivors
While the newspaper interviews I read during my research were fascinating, I wanted to be able
to hear the stories from the veterans themselves. I hit the jackpot when I found “Pearl Harbor
survivors share their stories” from the St. Louis Post-Herald, by Erik M. Lunsford. For this
piece, the author interviewed—and recorded on video—several Pearl Harbor veterans about their memories of Pearl Harbor.
Here are two of the wonderful interviews…
Jim Parker
Pearl Harbor survivor Jim Parker, 89, of St. Louis. The Navy chief was on his way to hoist
the flag on the USS. Oglala. He never made it. A blast shook the deck he was on like it was
a diving board. "I did my first and only somersault - backwards," Parker said. Parker said
the sudden switch from morning routine to chaos is one that has to be lived through to fully
understand. "Everybody was in shock. We were all surprised. You're going from peace time to a whole world war. I mean, there was nothing like it. It's too hard to explain."
You can watch the video of Jim Parker’s story at http://videos.stltoday.com/p/video?id=35073191
Hank Metzler
One day after finishing boot camp, Hank Metzler went outside to find out what all the noise was
about. You can watch the video of Hank Metzler’s story at
For more stories and videos of Pearl Harbor survivors, visit this page:
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If you know a veteran—a family member or a member in your community—who was there at
Pearl Harbor in 1941, please take the opportunity to preserve (and, ideally, record) his memories from seven decades ago. Although tragic, these are the powerful stories we can’t afford to be forgotten.
Warmly,
Lilo
