- The Good: Emotional and harrowing firsthand account of a survivor of the USS Arizona
- The Bad: Despite being written by a professional writer, the story feels somewhat rushed
- The Literary: Rare primary source
Nineteen-year-old Nebraskan Donald Stratton was stationed aboard the USS Arizona on December 7, 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. A million pounds of explosives detonated beneath his battle station, but though he was burned across two thirds of his body, he managed to escape the ship alive.
This is a surprisingly intimate retelling of the early life of a man who lived through a pivotal moment in American history, ushering the United States into the second world war. The book opens with Don as a young boy growing up in rural Nebraska. His resilient parents brought their family through the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, and this backstory itself is a fascinating portrait of American history.
Don joined the navy because he needed a job, and liked the added benefit of being able to travel. By a happy surprise, despite growing up in the center of the United States, he loved the ocean. Being assigned to the Arizona, he was able to experience the paradise of Hawaii before the luxury high-rise hotels and hoards of tourists. He describes the military as strict, but it shared the same values of respect and structure that his parents taught him back home.
Everything changed with the surprise attack on the Arizona. Don recounts that harrowing morning, seeing the death and fire all around him, thinking he’d never make it out. At a critical moment, another soldier disobeyed orders and threw him and his four friends a rope, which saved all their lives. This isn’t a comprehensive overview or a strategic recounting, but one man’s tale of survival.
I won’t share much more of Don’s story, but he needed a lot of recovery and rehabilitation. The war raged on, and Don still did what he could to support the war effort. In one of the middle chapters, Don discusses the atomic bombing of Japan and provides a logical reasoning of why it was necessary. He defends America’s decision wholeheartedly, and while I understand his reasoning and his perspective, it’s difficult for me to envision any situation that would justify the atomic bomb with hindsight we have now.
The final chapters of the book are more reflective, and focus is looking back on on Pearl Harbor, including what the military could have done better, as there were some definite misses, which he primarily attributes to over-confidence. But Don also talks about what it’s like to attend the memorials and anniversaries, returning to the ship, visiting with other sailors who were there, and remembering the ones who died. Don reflects on what he says is the only question that matters, “Have I lived a good life?”
Don’s memoir is raw and emotional, honest and idealistic, powerful and poignant. Highly recommended for anyone interested in learning more about American history from a primary source, as well as a portrait of the patriotism and family ethics of the “greatest generation”.
A wartime poem that First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt carried with her throughout her life:
“Dear Lord,
Lest I continue
My complacent way,
Help me to remember that somewhere,
Somehow out there
A man died for me today.
As long as there be war,
I then must
Ask and answer
Am I worth dying for?”