On Dec. 7, 1941, at 7:55 in the morning, Japanese warplanes emerged from the clouds and began a catastrophic assault on the Hawaii naval base. President Franklin D. Roosevelt described it as a day “which will live in infamy.”
The entire attack lasted one hour and fifteen minutes. Bombs, guns and torpedoes left 19 navy ships and eight battleships destroyed. 2,403 lost their lives that day.
Devastating events -- that essentially drew the United States into World War II.
Don Graves was only 16 on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese.
“On the 8th of December, Roosevelt came on. The President did a speech,” recalled Graves.
“I loved it. When it was over, I said tomorrow morning I’m getting up, I’m going to run down to the station, to the recruiting office and join the Marine Corps. Well, then I found out that I had to be 17,” said Graves.
Graves waited six more months, dropped out of high school and then signed up for the Marines in 1942.
“I wanted to go in the Marine Corps because I saw a lot of Hollywood movies with Marines and I said that’s what that’s for me,” said Graves. “Because I love my country. We were taught that in school. We were proud of our flag.”
Graves was a flamethrower operator for the Marines which was a weapon that sprayed out burning fuel and weighed about 72 pounds.
On Feb. 19 1945, Graves hit the beach at 8 o’clock in the morning with about 300 Marines.
“It was devastation all the way. It was a very tough battle. And it took us three days to go 545 feet to reach Suribachi,” said Graves.
It was there on the beach, where the 17-year-old who was terrified did something he had never done before.
“I had to try something. For the first time in my life, I prayed to God. And I said, Lord, I don’t know much about you. I’ve heard about you. And I want to know if you’ll get me off this island. If you get me off this island, I will serve you the rest of my life,” said “He got me off the island 6 weeks later.”
Out of the 300 Marines, only 18 would survive.
“There’s an old saying, no atheists in foxholes, and that’s true,” said Graves.
Even in his 90s, Graves continues to share his stories. He hopes this will ensure that his role in humanity’s fight for freedom will not be forgotten for generations to come.