Pearl Harbor Survivor Stops In Oklahoma

Wednesday, August 8th 2007, 10:10 am

By: News On 6

Just about every student takes a history class at one time or another, but one group of kids from Claremore High School will be a part of history this December during the USS Oklahoma Memorial dedication in Pearl Harbor. The News On 6â€™s Steve Berg reports Claremore's Navy Junior ROTC program will be the official color guard for the ceremony.

The USS Oklahoma was sunk in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Four hundred twenty-nine sailors were killed. On Wednesday, the kids heard from one of the survivors.

He was on the Oklahoma. Now, he's in Oklahoma, sharing a living history with Claremore High School students. At 89 years old, Paul Goodyear is going strong.

"After 65 years, we're still the only battleship that doesn't have a memorial in Pearl Harbor,â€ Goodyear said.

He was born and raised in Michigan and now lives in Arizona. But having served on its only Naval namesake, Goodyear has always felt a kinship with the state of Oklahoma.

His strongest feelings though are reserved for his lost comrades on the doomed battleship.

"And we think it's way past time for these kids to be memorialized

Hit by multiple torpedoes, the Oklahoma sank in under 20 minutes, giving very little time for escape. Goodyear says many were caught below deck and remained there until their air ran out.

"Our kids died one of the most cruel, inhumane deaths that can be imagined,â€ Goodyear said. "Can you imagine being trapped in a pitch-black, dark, black compartment and all of a sudden it dawns on you that there's no escape from this?"

Goodyear says it was just luck that his shift began on deck, just a few minutes before the attack, something he still thinks about today.

"Every one of us worry about that,â€ said Goodyear. "Every survivor knows just exactly where his name would be on that plaque if it wasn't for the luck of the draw."

And so he's worked tirelessly to raise the money for the memorial, which he hopes will become reality in December.

"Invariably it happens. We find little stub-toes along the line that seem to add 100,000 here or 80,000 there. So we're still working,â€ Goodyear said.

For more information about the memorial, click here.

Watch the video: USS Oklahoma Survivor Shares His Experience With Local High School Students