He is one of my heroes. He was in his tent playing cards on December 7th with his buddies when he heard the first Japanese planes pass by. The next few minutes and hours were complete chaos. He got on a raft with his unit and they made their way out to their ship to man the AA guns. As he climbed up the rope to the ship, there was a U.S. marine with a gun to his forehead, ready to shoot him. This guy thought that Japanese soldiers were boarding their ships. Everyone was in complete panic mode and shellshocked.

He witnessed some awfully horrible things that he rarely talked about. I only ever saw him cry two times and both times it was when he was talking about the war and the friends he lost. He felt guilty that he survived when so many died. He was a midship gunner on the Enterprise, fought in 7 major seas battles including Midway, and survived the land invasion of PeleLiu. I wish he were still here.

He was a tough, humble man. I love him dearly and am so grateful for his service and for all those who serve.