From the November 3, 2021, Pleasanton Weekly (California) by Cierra Vine.
U.S. Navy veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor Michael "Mickey" Ganitch will take the virtual stage at Las Positas College's Veterans Day seminar his coming Thursday.
Ganitch, 101, was stationed on the battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) in Pearl Harbor that fateful day. he was just 22 years-old at the time and a member of the ship's football team. He was getting ready to play a scrimmage against another ship's team.
"I didn't have time to change clothes or nothing," Ganitch said, adding that he was well-protected during the attack because of all his football padding.
Ganitch said that his ship was dry docked that morning because it needed some maintenance work on the propellers, which meant that they were not at their usual dock on the base.
"The first attack did not hit us because they knew where all the ships were at they knew the names of the ships, they knew everything but we were not in our usual place," Ganitch said.
He continued that his ship was spotted during the second attack and hit with a 500-pound bomb that exploded two decks below him and shook him but didn't injure him. "If it had exploded on contact, I wouldn't be here."
--GreGen
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