The watch has ended, and history grows quieter. At 102, Jessie Alton Mahaffey, the last living survivor of the USS Oklahoma, has crossed the final horizon, leaving behind the final human voice of that shattered morning at Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1941, the Oklahoma rolled beneath a burning sky. Trapped steel became a tomb for 429 sailors. Jessie, then only a young man, fought through darkness and flooding, clawing his way to air while the sea claimed his brothers. He did not escape alone, he carried them with him for the rest of his life.
Fate was relentless. Months later, the ocean tested him again with the sinking of the USS Northampton. Twice claimed by war. Twice returned. A survivor marked not by luck, but by an unbreakable will and a lifelong burden of remembrance.
For more than eight decades, Jessie stood as a living memorial, bearing witness so the fallen would never fade into silence. Now, his long duty is complete.
I know some of you don't like the idea of an
American Flag made in China, but the reality
is a lot of our readers just can not afford to pay
30 or 35 bucks for a flag made here. That is
the only reason I allow this ad to appear - to
present a flag that's affordable to everyone.
Just last month I was driving on some rural road. The flag in front of that property was so incredibly worn out that I went to get a new flag and put it in their mailbox. A few weeks later when I drove past again that new flag was up.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter WHERE the flag was made: it was UP.
I admit that I usually try to buy US Made flags (as with everything else when I can find it), but our Kansas wind is not picky. It'll rip all flags to shreds in a matter of months. Thanks to our host for the link.
Delete1 per customer on the flag.
DeleteFair winds and following seas to you and the shipmates you're finally meeting up with again.
ReplyDeletemy Dad fought in WW2. navy. joined in late 1940 before they drafted him into the army. ( he didn't want to wear a tie)
ReplyDeleteanyway. he said he was in school when the attack happened. got to pearl in late Jan or so. you could still see the ships
rolled over and the wrecks of them. he said EVERYONE was pissed at the Japanese after seeing it. he ended up on the San Frisco for the whole time. he resting in Arlington national cemetery. along the way, he earned 16 or 17 "battle stars" and 2 navy crosses for valor. he didn't talk about his time in much. at least until I came home from my time in the army. although we did share a few beers together on the back porch talking about how messed up life can be.
I miss him a lot. a quiet man with a lot of hard earned common sense.
I lived 3 doors down from a Pearl Harbor survivor, he could tell some dark stories about that war.
ReplyDeleteMy father-in-law was an ensign stationed aboard the USS Arizona. He was off duty that weekend and was awakened by the attack. He worked for three days straight on rescue and recovery. In addition to English he spoke French, German, Italian and Spanish so the navy, in its wisdom transferred him to the Atlantic where he would later participate in the navy’s support of D-Day. He died in 1988.
ReplyDelete