Local Survivors Remember a Day of Infamy

As two World War II fighter planes buzzed overhead in a show of patriotic support, Ventura County’s Pearl Harbor survivors took turns on an outdoor stage Saturday sharing eerie details of the day that America was attacked 61 years ago.

“We were awakened with some of the most awful percussion and sounds we ever heard,” said Solomon Jackson, 82, of Ventura, a Marine who was stationed at the Hawaiian port on Dec. 7, 1941.

After convincing his bunkmate they were under fire, Jackson grabbed a rifle, ran outside and, along with other Marines, started shooting at a low-flying Japanese plane. “He went down in the water. He was really riddled,” Jackson said.

A small group of residents and political leaders gathered at the Ventura County Veterans Memorial in Ventura to hear the oral histories. All sat rapt as Jackson reached the end of his recollections.

The aftermath of the attack, he said, was a sea of dead floating in the harbor, many of the bodies on fire. “It was a horrible sight.”

Jackson was one of five survivors to speak at the anniversary ceremony, which also included brief remarks by county Supervisor John K. Flynn and spokesmen for Rep. Elton Gallegly and state Sen. Tom McClintock.

Former sailor Ed Baumgart of Meiners Oaks, who said he was trapped for 23 hours inside the Oklahoma after the battleship capsized during the attack, told the crowd that his best friend was buried at Pearl Harbor.

“I’ve always wanted to be there on a Dec. 7, to go out to the USS Arizona, but it’s too late for that now,” said Baumgart, 81. “I’m an old man and I’m lucky to be here.”

Navy veteran Bob Guyll, also 81 and of Ventura, asked the audience never to forget the sacrifice made by military personnel at the start of the war.

“I’m thinking of all those fellows we lost during those terrible years,” Guyll said while standing at the microphone, which was flanked by large cardboard displays of newspaper stories and photos of the attack.

Flynn said he was 8 and visiting his grandmother’s house off Ventura Avenue when word of the attack arrived.

“We are so thankful to the survivors,” Flynn said. “We love each of you and are so thankful for what you did.”

More than 2,400 sailors and soldiers were killed, along with about 50 civilians. Hundreds more were injured.

Several couples brought their young children to hear firsthand accounts of American history.

“Pearl Harbor Day, much like Sept. 11, is a day that will be remembered by all,” Gallegly spokesman Brian Miller said.