List of USS Oklahoma shipmates dwindles every year, Pearl Harbor survivor says

Goodyear is one of the men who survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor aboard the USS Oklahoma.

Fifty-nine years ago Thursday, the USS Oklahoma and 20 other U.S. ships were destroyed in the surprise attack. More than 2,300 servicemen were killed, including 429 of the 864 sailors aboard the USS Oklahoma.

Goodyear's list was copied from a count taken within weeks of the attack.

"I got it originally from the Pearl Harbor Survivor's Association, but found a lot of men who are not members," said Goodyear, of Casa Grande, Ariz. "I've added about three names this year."

Each addition is a treasure considering the list has been cut almost in half since Goodyear started it eight years ago.

The battleship Oklahoma had been afloat for two decades before Dec. 7, 1941. When Japanese planes descended on the harbor at 6 a.m., the ship took three torpedoes and rolled on its side.

Because the harbor was only 8-feet deep, the ship did not sink.

But hundreds of crewmen were trapped inside fighting for air.

"I had signal watch that morning with three other men,"

Goodyear said. "We were on watch at the starboard when we saw the planes come in. Two planes came in and dropped bombs. But when the third plane dropped, a big ball of flames went up.

"We went overboard right away."

Goodyear swam to the USS Maryland, which also received heavy damage. He eventually made it ashore.

Living abroad after the war, Goodyear did not return to the United States until 1986. Up to that point, Goodyear had never talked about that awful day.

"You just blanked it out," he said. "Then I got back and started talking to other survivors. It was kind of therapy. But some still don't talk about it. Some are still in shock."

With a little more confidence to talk about the day of infamy, Goodyear started his list as a way for USS Oklahoma crewmen to keep in touch and learn the fates of their shipmates.

There were 300 names on the list when he began. Now it's down to 170, with 16 being taken off in the past few months.

"It's not the easiest thing in the world. I enjoy adding names, but I've come to the conclusion we're mortal," he said.

Goodyear attended the dedication of the USS Oklahoma Memorial at the Oklahoma Historical Society in 1998. He keeps searching for missing crewmen.

For every name added, five more are removed.