PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii—Bob Fernandez had dreams of dancing and seeing the world when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy at just 17 years old in August 1941.
Little did he know that four months later, he would find himself in the midst of explosions, passing ammunition to artillery crews to defend against Japanese planes bombing Pearl Harbor, a Navy base in Hawaii.
Now at the age of 100, Fernandez reflects on those harrowing moments. “When those things go off like that, we didn’t know what’s what,” he recalled. “We didn’t even know we were in a war.”
As the 83rd anniversary of the attack approaches, two survivors, both over 100 years old, plan to return to Pearl Harbor to pay their respects. They will join active-duty troops, veterans, and the public for a remembrance ceremony organized by the Navy and the National Park Service.
Unfortunately, health issues have forced Fernandez to cancel his plans to attend the ceremony.
The infamous bombing at Pearl Harbor claimed the lives of over 2,300 U.S. servicemen, with the USS Arizona suffering the heaviest losses. More than 1,100 sailors and Marines onboard the USS Arizona perished, with the remains of over 900 still entombed on the sunken ship.
A moment of silence will be observed at 7:54 a.m., the exact time the attack commenced eight decades ago. Aircraft in a missing man formation will fly overhead to break the silence.
While dozens of survivors used to attend the annual remembrance, only 16 remain today. According to Kathleen Farley, the California state chair of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, there were an estimated 87,000 military personnel on Oahu during the attack.
Many consider Pearl Harbor survivors as heroes, but Fernandez humbly disagrees. “I’m not a hero. I’m just nothing but an ammunition passer,” he shared in a phone interview from California.
Recalling the events of December 7, 1941, Fernandez remembers working as a mess cook on the USS Curtiss and preparing to go dancing that night at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki.
As chaos ensued, Fernandez found himself in a magazine room passing shells to the ship’s guns while fellow sailors prayed and cried. The USS Curtiss suffered casualties and injuries during the attack.
After the war, Fernandez went on to work as a forklift driver in California. Despite the passage of time and personal losses, he still cherishes music and enjoys dancing to Frank Sinatra’s “All of Me.”
Though unable to make it to this year’s Pearl Harbor remembrance, Fernandez’s spirit and memories of that fateful day remain strong.
By Audrey Mcavoy
Can you please rewrite this sentence?
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