Jump to content
SASS Wire Forum

Our County's last Pearl Harbor Vet


Recommended Posts

News paper today listed the death of our county's last Pearl Vet..Adone "Cal" Calderone, a U.S. Navy vet crewed on the West Virginia as a member of the ship's band. The evening of Dec. 6, the band played on the Arizona. After their gig, the band was invited to stay over night. They did almost to a man, Cal went back to the ship, the rest of the band died with the Arizona.. During the attack Cal was hit in the face by shrapnel, and was trapped on board for a while, but was later freed and treated for his wounds. Surviving the rest of the war, he raised a family and was a regular at Post 44 here. Asked why he would tell about his Dec. 7 experience, he said " I do it for the Hero's of Pearl Harbor.and the hero's are the ones who died, not those of us who survived". Cal was 100 yrs. old.:FlagAm::FlagAm::FlagAm::blush:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, Sixgun Sheridan said:

:FlagAm::FlagAm::FlagAm::FlagAm::FlagAm:

 

Sadly, soon there will be none. Heroes all, both those who died and those who survived.

 

Agree.

My dad was 16 when Pearl was bombed.   Before he turned 18, his mother signed for him to join the Navy.

He was on the USS Blackhawk.   I don't know where he was when an explosion occurred near him and put 

shrapnel in his back and the Navy discharged him on a disability. 

 

Can you imagine a 16 year old TODAY going into the military under war like conditions?

 

FOUR-EYE BUCK:   Salute to Adone Calderone.  And thanks for posting that story.

 

..........Widder

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote

His battle is done.  May he Rest In Peace 

 

Present, ARMS!  :FlagAm:

i recall as a kid hearing of the last CW survivor passing at well over 100 , the last few WWI survivors passing , i never gave thought to the last WW2 survivors passing - one was my father and he seemed young to me at the time , this brings to mind his passing in 2000 - he enlisted days after pearl with his best friend , the country was patriotic back then 

 

now my VN friends are going rather quickly , it seems our patriotism is much as it was when coming home you got called names and protested - sad state of the union 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm old enough to have uncles who served in WWI

One in particular lied about his age and was in the trenches for his 16th birthday, in 1916, joining his Father, in the same regiment, the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders..

God Bless you and Keep you Uncle Ernie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My Grandad was in the Royal Air Force in the First World War, flying as an artillery spotter. He once lost engine power at 4,000 ft and glided to a landing; he said those biplanes glided well!

 

I was a grown man of 29 with a family when he died; in fact I was trying a jury case when I was told of his death. I knew several WWI vets.  Then a day came not too many years ago when it was established that there wasn't a single Great War vet of any nationality still alive in the whole world.

 

Many of us grew up surrounded by people who were born in the 19th Century; grandparents, neighbors, folks at church.....Then, just a few short years ago, it was announced that there was not a single person left in the whole world who was born in the 19th Century.

 

We are now not so far off when that will be true of all WWII veterans. Even a kid who lied about his age and joined the Navy at 17 in the last months of the war would be 92 now if alive-- the very youngest.

 

RIP "Cal" Calderone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Back when I was 16 You could join the service but had to wait till 21 to have a Beer , unless you were on base in the officers Club ....

 

Jabez Cowboy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My dad was the officer of the day on the California when it was attacked.

He never spoke much about it, except once when they had him on a live radio interview.
He spoke with a blistering opinion of the attack being a setup to drag America into the war.
He told about how they finally cut him out of the ship and he walked across the guts and brains of what used to be his shipmates.

When the kids were young, we took them every year to the VFW breakfast on 12/7.
Every year, the number of vets dwindled.
Dad passed in '93, the rest are gone now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.