Being stationed in Hawaii before December 7, 1941, was fun and exciting. But, that morning, he woke up and looked outside the window of his third floor barracks at Hickam Field.
"The battleship Arizona was parked only about a half mile from where I was. I seen this torpedo plane heading towards the, the ship," Payne explained. "I probably saw the torpedo that sank the Arizona. The loudest sound I ever heard."
At that moment, he didn't know what was going on, it was all happening so fast. He didn't even have time to be afraid. Then it came to him what was going on. "Except when they were. I was out there on the ground when they were shooting at me. I was scared then. I was praying then," Payne said.
He was one of the many men who rushed outside and tried to save the planes at the base as the Japanese planes flew low, just 20 feet overhead.
"I'd lay down. I'd see a plane coming, I'd lay flat , figured I'd be a smaller target.. Ans when he got over me, I'd rise up and shoot at him with a .45 pistol. All I had was a .45 pistol," Payne said, laughing. "1,000 to 1 I'd probably hit him, but at least I was throwing lead at him."
--GreGen
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