That day, December 7, 1941, Rommel was on board the USS Oklahoma and preparing to attend a pistol match when he heard an explosion. He remembered: "I went to see what was going on. As I reached the deck, I saw a plane with bright red balls beneath its wings fly right over me.
"The officer of the deck sounded air defense on the bugle. I ran off toward the turret. On the way, I grabbed the intercom and announced over the loudspeaker, 'This is a real air raid. This is no (expletive deleted)'"
Afterwards, he served on the USS Gridley (DD-380) for the next three years and was awarded 12 battle stars and a Bronze Star.
He was promoted in ranks and eventually commanded the USS Wilkes at the end of the war. Mr. Rommel said, "That was the most damn fun I ever had."
After that he became commanding officer of the Washington Navy Yard and later commanded five different ships.
He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 66, Site 6321.
--GreGen
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.
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