100-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor recalls confusion and chaos during attack

100-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor recalls horror of bombing on 83rd anniversary of attack

Bob Fernandez, a 100-year-old survivor of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, recalled the confusion and chaos he experienced 83 years ago when Japanese forces rained explosives on the military base

A man who survived the bombing of Pearl Harbor said sailors prayed and cried during the attack. Bob Fernandez, who joined the U.S. Navy at 17 with dreams of dancing and seeing the world found himself in the throes of war during the Pearl Harbor attack just four months later.

Bob Fernandez, now 100 years old, said: "When those things go off like that, we didn’t know what’s what. We didn’t even know we were in a war."

Now, as the 83rd anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack approaches, two survivors aged over 100 years old plan to return to the site for a solemn remembrance ceremony alongside military personnel and civilians. Although Fernandez intended to be there, health issues have forced him to cancel his plans.

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The attack claimed the lives of more than 2,300 American servicemen, with the USS Arizona suffering significant losses; it sank with 1,177 sailors and Marines, and over 900 remain entombed within its hull. A poignant moment of silence is scheduled for 7:54 a.m., marking the exact time the assault began 83 years ago, which will be followed by the reverent roar of aircraft flying in missing man formation.

The annual remembrance of Pearl Harbor once saw dozens of survivors in attendance, but as time has passed and the survivors have aged, their numbers have dwindled. According to Kathleen Farley, the California state chair of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, only 16 survivors are still living today.

Military historian J. Michael Wenger estimates that around 87,000 military personnel were on Oahu on the day of the attack.

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While many hail the survivors of Pearl Harbor as heroes, one survivor, Fernandez, doesn't see himself in that light. "I’m not a hero. I’m just nothing but an ammunition passer," he shared with The Associated Press during a phone interview from his home in Lodi, California, where he now resides with his nephew.

On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Fernandez was serving as a mess cook on his ship, the USS Curtiss, and had plans to go dancing that evening at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki.

He was busy serving breakfast to sailors when an alarm sounded. Looking through a porthole, he spotted a plane bearing the red ball insignia of Japanese aircraft.

Fernandez quickly descended three decks to a magazine room where he and other sailors awaited the unlocking of a door storing 5-inch, 38-caliber shells to pass them to the ship's guns. Over the years, he has recounted how some of his fellow sailors prayed and cried as they heard gunfire above.

"I felt kind of scared because I didn’t know what the hell was going on," Fernandez admitted.

The ship's guns struck a Japanese plane that subsequently crashed into one of its cranes. Shortly after, the guns hit a dive bomber which then collided with the ship and exploded below deck, igniting the hangar and main decks, as per the Navy History and Heritage Command.

Fernandez's vessel, the Curtiss, suffered the loss of 21 men and nearly 60 sailors were injured. "We lost a lot of good people, you know. They didn’t do nothing," Fernandez expressed. "But we never know what’s going to happen in a war."

Post-attack, Fernandez was tasked with cleaning up debris. That night, he stood guard with a rifle to ensure no one attempted to board.

When it was time to rest, he unknowingly fell asleep next to where the ship’s deceased were lying. He only became aware of this when a fellow sailor woke him.

After the war, Fernandez took up employment as a forklift driver at a cannery in San Leandro, California. His wife of 65 years, Mary Fernandez, passed away in 2014.

His eldest son, now 82, resides in Arizona. Two other sons and a stepdaughter have since passed away.

Fernandez has made three trips to Hawaii to partake in the Pearl Harbor remembrance. This year would have marked his fourth visit.

Fernandez continues to enjoy music and dances at a nearby restaurant once a week if possible. His favorite song is Frank Sinatra’s rendition of "All of Me," a tune his nephew Joe Guthrie says he still knows by heart.

"The ladies flock to him like moths to a flame," Guthrie commented.