Pearl Harbor Survivors: An Oral History of 24 Servicemen

by Harry Spiller

On December 7, 1941, Japan waged a surprise attack on the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor. It was a major victory for the Japanese Navy, which in less than two hours destroyed 188 American planes, damaged another 159, and sunk or seriously damaged 18 U.S. warships. The battleships Arizona and Oklahoma were sunk. The battleships California, West Virginia and Tennessee were badly damaged and would not rejoin the United States fleet for months. Over 2,400 American military personnel were killed and 1,178 were wounded. The Japanese lost 29 planes and pilots, five midget submarines and one large sub with their crews. Here are 24 personal accounts of servicemen who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. These accounts cover in detail the location of each man and his experience during and after the actual attack. Also included is general information about Pearl Harbor.

224 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2001

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pearl Harbor Survivors By: Harry Spiller Brian Bredemann
Reading 8-McG
Book Review 5/11/08

If you love to read about World War II, then you will love Pearl Harbor Survivors: An Oral History of 24 Servicemen by Harry Spiller. This non-fiction book is a description of what the morning of December 7th, 1941 was like for twenty-four American sailors aboard each of the ships affected by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that day. Through courageous acts during frightening scenes, and excruciatingly moments of suffering and death, this book takes your mind back to that infamous day.
In each chapter, the author does a tremendous job explaining a history of each boat docked in Pearl Harbor before and after the attack, followed by the version of the attack from one surviving sailor of each ship. One sailor was Signalman 2C Richard E. Burge’s, who used a machine gun against incoming Japanese bombers on the USS Tennessee. Another was Ensign Adolph D. Mortensen of the USS Oklahoma, who desperately saved his five comrades and himself from the capsized ship and oil burning on top of the water. Another was Seaman Second Class Charlie T. Sehe of the USS Nevada, from St. Charles, Illinois, who was eating his breakfast the moment torpedoes were dropped only ten feet away from him, and was left later to pick up his friends’ body parts after the attack was over. These are just a couple of the hundreds of cool stories that live on today from these Pearl Harbor survivors. That day will always be remembered not only as the beginning of World War II for the United States, but also for the start of an outstanding sense of patriotism that sparked the whole country.
I would recommend this to anyone who would want to read some very inspiring stories. Overall, this was a great book and out of ten, I would give it a nine.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

The USS Bush, sunk by kamikazes while on picket duty off Okinawa, was a Fletcher-class destroyer, nor a cruiser.

[B.J. Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Precious Time Capsule

Each one of these survivor tales delivered its own unique set of memories - some touching, many horrific - all of which far surpass one's own vivid imagination.

These men, most talking now from their graves, touched me, made me feel what it was like to truly be there in those harrowing minutes and hours.

If you want a Pearl Harbor book to go beyond the general documented tale, Pearl Harbor Survivors is the book for you.

I came away with more knowledge and an even greater sense of awe for these brave men and women, and yes, even survivor's guilt, representing a generation born thanks squarely to their own survival.

[Thomas Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, gives a personal view of the events.