Pearl Harbor survivors remember day

A lifetime ago: As young men, two lives were changed when a surprise enemy attack left bravery, loss in its wake

JEFFREY P. MAYOR; The News Tribune | • Published December 07, 2009

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George Neagle joined the Navy in August 1941 at the age of 17, knowing his pay would help his parents, still struggling to overcome the hardships of the Great Depression.

From his days as a child, Melvin Malone knew he wanted to join the Navy, a desire fueled by his father’s service with the Navy during World War I.

Despite their differing reasons for enlisting, the two Tacoma natives found themselves aboard ships on Dec. 7, 1941.

And, 68 years later, the memories of that sunny morning are still fresh for these two men, among the nearly three dozen South Sound survivors of Pearl Harbor.

“We were right across from Ford Island and right next to a hospital ship,” Neagle said.

He talks of getting a tattoo the night of Dec. 6 – a Spanish girl dancing – returning to the ship after midnight.

“I still got it, too, but it’s pretty well worn. It don’t dance like it used to,” he said with a laugh.

He was already up, drinking coffee, when the Japanese surprise attack began shortly before 8 a.m.

Reporting to his battle station on the bridge, Neagle soon was racing to and fro, delivering messages for the captain and returning with details on damage. The tender was first hit by a Japanese dive bomber that crashed on the ship’s stern after being hit by American anti-aircraft fire.

“The pilot had a University of Hawaii ring on and civilian clothes underneath his flight suit,” Neagle said.

Hits from two 500-pound bombs left the ship’s bow slipping into the harbor’s waters and 21 of the Curtiss’ crew died.

“It was pretty rough for me. I was just a 17-year-old kid. I didn’t know what to expect. I found out the hard way,” Neagle said. “It was awfully scary in more ways than one, but you have a job to do and you do it.”

Neagle, now 85 and past president of the Washington state chapter of the Pearl Harbors Survivors Association, admits to being scared as he watched bombs falling all around the ship while shipmates fought back.

“Although the harbor was in flames and smoke, and there were injured everywhere, I remember how calm and dedicated everyone was,” he said.

“I’m just thankful I’m still alive. You feel sad for those that didn’t make it, but what can you do? You just have to keep moving forward,” Neagle added.

Malone, a yeoman second class aboard the U.S.S. California, was a few weeks shy of turning 19 when the attack began. He had been in the Navy for little more than a year.

The Tennessee-class battleship was tied up at Ford Island when Japanese planes unleashed their attack on the seven ships that made up Battleship Row.

The ship was hit by two torpedoes early in the attack and then struck by a bomb, killing 98 and injuring 61 crew members. The damage was bad enough that the ship settled to the bottom three days later.

Malone said he knew nothing of what was happening because his battle station – manning the phones in a damage repair station – was at the bottom of the ship.

“I was scared to hell. Wouldn’t you be if people were bombing you and your ship was sinking?” Malone said.

“I was busy up until they called abandon ship. The I had to go through an escape hatch from the bottom ship.”

Once on deck, Malone realized the easiest way ashore was a 25-yard swim.

“I had to swim ashore under the water because they were still strafing us. I ran like hell when I hit the beach. I tried to find a place to hide because they were still strafing us,” Malone said.

Once ashore, Malone met up with two former Lincoln High School classmates.

“When I got ashore, someone threw me a rifle but it had no ammunition,” he said.

The trio climbed atop what they thought was a water tank. There they awaited an invasion by Japanese troops, one that never came.

“We were going to bayonet them when they came up the ladder. We hid atop a tank. I thought it was a water tank, but it was a gas tank. We got off there as soon as we learned it was a gas tank.”

Now 86 years old, Malone said he felt the same way Neagle did about the attack that left 2,403 dead, and 21 ships sunk or damaged.

“Being sunk and being shot at, the ship being torpedoed, it scared the hell out of a guy,” he said. “I thanked God I was alive when it was over.”

Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640

jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com