Pearl Harbor Survivor
Gunner’s Mate Calvin C. Dawes
U.S.S. Raleigh
I
like to keep my father’s service in World War II alive because his is an
unusual story. He was seventeen when he entered the Navy. His mother had to
sign for him. He was anxious to serve his country.
On
Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor hitting Ford Island first. The
U.S.S. Raleigh, a destroyer, was fatefully moored at berth F-12. She would take
a torpedo in her No.2 boiler room and claim five victories with her anti-aircraft
batteries with no loss of life.
My
dad was not physically injured that day. He stayed by his post loading the
guns. Emotionally, he was scarred for life and suffered from PTSD before they
knew what that was.
Dad
wouldn’t turn eighteen until January 31st. What an experience for
any young teenager to live through and be able to share.
I’m
proud of my father’s service. He stayed on that ship for six years after the
attack. Dad survived to marry and father four children. He’s been gone from us
for twenty-five years now, and I miss him each day. I understood him more than
most, I think. On camping trips during my childhood years, he and I would talk
at midnight in front of the fire and he would tell me about his experiences.
Someday, I want to put those stories in a book.
The information was written and provided by Mr. Dawes daughter, Patty Wiseman ( She is a published author of novels.)
