Pearl Harbor Still a Vivid Memory

. “Oh my,” he said. He became choked up and tearful as he spoke of the wounded sailors, civilians, and other military personnel. It was easy to see that he had vivid memories of these past events.        On Sunday after church, my wife, Sharon, often visits her mother at Oakwood Village, a retirement village where she resides and is cared for in a special Alzheimer’s Unit. My wife goes to maybe help feed her or just to see how she is doing. I had originally planned to just head home, but changed my mind at the last minute and headed for Oakwood Village.

Her mother was seated in the dining area close to some other residents there, so we had to move her to another table where my Sharon would have room to feed her. There was an elderly man and woman already seated at this table, but said nothing when we came to join them.

The elderly woman stared straight ahead while eating her two cookies, and the elderly man kept his head down, looking at his food and moving very slowly. As my wife was helping her mother, she stated that she thought a little music would be nice during lunch. I added that I thought that some nice slow swing music would be appropriate. The older gentleman’s head rose and he said, “I like music.”

My wife began talking with him about music and when I mentioned the names of some old-time ‘big band’ leaders, like Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, and Duke Ellington, his face lit up and he smiled, and he nodded his head in approval.
My wife, Sharon, then asked him if he had been in the service. He said, “Yes ma’am. I was stationed at Pearl Harbor.” He went on to say that he had enlisted in the Navy at the age of 18, just after Pearl Harbor was attacked on Dec. 7th, 1941. His told us his name was Dane Stevens, and that he was trained as a Pharmacist’s Mate in the Navy and described his duties as that of a male nurse. He smiled as he told about his basic training in San Diego, where his group had to pitch their tents in the parking lot of the San Diego Zoo.

I told him that he must have had his hands full at Pearl Harbor, attending the wounded and repairing the facilities there. “Oh my,” he said. He became choked up and tearful as he spoke of the wounded sailors, civilians, and other military personnel. It was easy to see that he had vivid memories of these past events.

As we talked, he revealed a wonderful sense of humor, which I have found in so many WWII veterans that I speak with; a special appreciation of life that only comes, I believe, in the wake of experiencing an event like war.

When he and his wife had to be taken out of the dining area, I thanked God for this “chance” meeting. Once again, I was enriched one more time by one of a dying breed of men that Tom Brokaw has labeled, “The Greatest Generation”.

Randall W. Ark