Centenarian Remembers the Tumult of Pearl Harbor Attack

Bob Fernandez was just a teenager of 17 when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in August 1941, dreaming of world travel and nights spent dancing.

In four short months, his life was upended amidst eruptions of explosions as he passed ammunition to the gunners on his ship, fighting back against Japanese aircraft assaulting the naval base in Hawaii.

"It was utterly chaotic; we had no idea what was happening," recalled Fernandez, now a century old. "We didn't even realize it was war."

On Saturday, two centenarians who survived the infamous attack plan to return to Pearl Harbor to honor 83 years since the event that drew America into the turmoil of World War II. They will be joined by active service members, military veterans, and the public in a commemorative event hosted by the Navy and National Park Service.

Originally, Fernandez intended to make the trip but had to withdraw due to health concerns.

The devastating bombing led to the deaths of more than 2,300 American servicemen, with nearly half of them—1,177—perishing aboard the USS Arizona, now a marine grave. The vessel holds the enshrined remains of over 900 of its crew.

A solemn silence will be observed at 7:54 a.m., the exact moment the attack commenced eight decades past. Aircraft will perform a missing man formation overhead, shattering the silence as a tribute.

There was a time when scores of survivors would attend the yearly remembrance, but with age, the numbers have dwindled. Presently, only 16 remain, as per a list curated by Kathleen Farley, California's state chair of Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors. Estimates by military historian J. Michael Wenger suggest approximately 87,000 military personnel were stationed on Oahu during that fateful day.

While many regard Pearl Harbor survivors as heroes, Fernandez demurs from such accolades.

"I'm no hero. I was merely a guy passing ammunition," he remarked to The Associated Press in a call from California, where he resides with his nephew in Lodi.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, Fernandez was serving as a mess steward aboard the USS Curtiss, expecting to go dancing at Waikiki's Royal Hawaiian Hotel later that evening.

During breakfast, as he served coffee and meals to sailors, an alarm rang out. Glancing through a porthole, Fernandez caught sight of an aircraft bearing the red circle emblem of Japan passing by.

He hurried down several levels to a storage area where he and his shipmates awaited to pass 5-inch, 38-caliber shells to their ship's guns.

Through various interviews, Fernandez recounted his fellow sailors, some praying and others weeping while gunfire erupted overhead.

"I was frightened; none of us truly understood the scale of what was happening," Fernandez shared.

Curtiss’s weaponry managed to down a Japanese fighter, crashing into one of its cranes. Soon, another hit, a dive bomber, struck the ship and blew up beneath the decks, igniting fires in the hangar and on main decks, according to the Navy Historical and Heritage Command.

The Curtiss endured the loss of 21 crew members, with nearly 60 more sustaining injuries.

"We lost incredible people who were simply doing their jobs," Fernandez reflected. "You never know the horror of war until you're in it."

In the aftermath, Fernandez was tasked with clearing debris. That very night, armed with a rifle, he kept watch to prevent any unauthorized boarding. Unbeknownst to him, as he rested, he was alongside the deceased shipmates until another sailor brought it to his attention.

Post-war, Fernandez took up a forklift operator role at a California cannery. Married for 65 years, his wife Mary passed away in 2014. His eldest son, now 82, resides in Arizona while two other sons and a stepdaughter have also passed.

He has traveled to Hawaii thrice to partake in commemorative events for Pearl Harbor, and this year would have been his fourth if not for his health.

Fernandez remains a fan of music and attends weekly dances at a local eatery, cherishing Frank Sinatra's "All of Me," which his nephew, Joe Guthrie, notes he can still sing from memory.

"He's quite popular with the ladies; they're drawn to him like moths to a flame," Guthrie added.