World War II: Pearl Harbor Survivors

**   If there are any more of our World War II or Korean War veterans in our post who would like to have their stories told, please get  in touch with Commander Kelli and I'd love to interview you.

PEARL HARBOR SURVIVORS

Unfortunately, most times I come across stories about Pearl Harbor survivors these days for this blog, Tattooed On Your Soul:  World War II blog, they are reporting a death.

Here are two recent stories from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Press from this past week.

RAY GARLAND, 96    Pearl Harbor Survivor, World War II Campaigns and Korean War veteran.  Long-time resident of Couer d'Alene.  He died April 19, 2019.  Last surviving member of the Lilac Chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.

Traveled to Spokane for the Pearl Harbor Remembrance every year.  In 2017, he was the only Pearl Harbor survivor to attend.

Enlisted in the Marines at age 19, and was the youngest member of the Marine detachment on the battleship USS Tennessee at Pearl Harbor that day.  He remembered, I saw a Japanese dive bomber flying alongside us.  He was so close, I could see his goggles."  despite being injured in the attack, he was back on duty in three days.

Later in the war, he participated in the Aleutian, Marshal and Gilbert Islands campaigns.  He was recalled by the Marines for the Korean War.

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From the same newspaper on April 25, 2019, "Pearl Harbor survivor looks ahead to Memorial Day."

Charlie Imus, 98, was walking down the stairs from his barracks to the mess hall on Ford Island at the age of 21.  He recalled:  "I saw the red (dots) on the airplanes going by."    At the time, he was a Seaman 2nd Class assigned to VP-23, an aircraft patrol squadron.

He fired a couple rounds at the enemy planes.  All but one of his planes were destroyed.