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.

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Montana's Last Pearl Harbor Survivor Dies at Age 99: Charlie Dowd

From the March 21, 2023 7 KBZK, Bozeman, Montana.

Charlie Dowd of Anaconda, 99, died.  He was Montana's last-known living Pearl Harbor survivor.  He was just 17 years old when the Japanese attacked.

He recalled being ordered to duck under some tables, and when he heard volunteers were  requested to fight back and that he and another sailor grabbed rifles, climbed to the roof of a building and started shooting at the attacking planes.

He died Friday, March 17, 2023.

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From the Helena Independent Record.

He was born in Rochester, New York, on December  23, 1923.  In March  1941 of his senior year in high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and trained as a radioman.  Stationed at Pearl Harbor, he reported to duty at 11:30 pm on December 6 and worked through the night at a radio-direction finder installation on Ford Island before returning to his barracks.

When he started shooting at the Japanese, he was about fifty yards from the USS California.

Afterwards, he served for 4 years and 10 minths in the Navy and earned two Bronze Stars.

--GreGen


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