Eyewitness to Infamy: Memories of a Navy Veteran at Pearl Harbor

http://blogs.ancestry.com/cm/2013/12/02/eyewitness-to-infamy-memories-of-a-navy-veteran-at-pearl-harbor/

Prologue: Denver native Irvin Hornkohl longed for adventure. He wanted to see the world. But, he was poor and had only an eighth grade education. The only way to fulfill his dreams was to join the Navy. On July 1, 1941, at age seventeen, he enlisted for four years. After boot camp in San Diego, he could hardly believe his good luck. For his first duty, he was assigned to the deck crew of the USS Oklahoma, a great American battleship. After serving aboard Oklahoma for a few months, the leading seaman on the ship encouraged Irvin to apply for mine laying school in Pearl Harbor. The two month course would increase his chances of getting transferred to the Asiatic Fleet. Then he could really start seeing the world. On December 7, 1941, Irvin found himself at Pearl Harbor. Seventy-two years later, Irvin recalls that day. Here is his story.



I got temporary duty to the mine school. It was for two months, and then I was to report back to the Oklahoma. That was my key toward getting over to the Asiatic Fleet. This was November 1941. I stayed at the mine school barracks right by the submarine base. To me, those were beautiful barracks with neat rows of bunk beds. The barracks were right above the mess hall. There must have been fifty guys in the school. We were in class about eight hours a day.

The Oklahoma was in the harbor part of the time, so I took a launch out on Sundays to see the guys a couple of times. On the weekends we would go to Honolulu. We’d drink a few beers, look at the girls, and wander around. I was living in hog heaven. I thought to myself, going to mine school was an excellent decision.

We had the idea that war was imminent. We knew what was going on in Europe. But, you know, when you’re seventeen years old you don’t think anything is going to happen the next day. We didn’t have training for war. In boot camp it was all, “hip, two, three, four” – marching and hand-washing our clothes and tying knots.

FULL story at link.