John E. Baskette US Navy USS Schley |
I enlisted in the US Navy on June 27, 1940. I was assigned to the USS Schley (DD-103) a WWI four-stack destroyer in Pearl Harbor. The USS Schley was having major repairs performed prior to the Japanese attack and we could not stay on board, therefore we were billeted at the receiving barracks by the main gate. The morning of December 7, 1941, I went down to the fleet landing to purchase the Honolulu Advertiser and began visiting with a chief petty officer that had served on a four-stack destroyer in the Asiatic Pacific fleet. Suddenly we could hear in the distance light rapid firing and explosions, which grew louder and louder. A member of a 50-foot motor launch remarked "this is a Hell of a day to conduct live fire exercises and someone is going to catch it". He had barely made the remark when the first torpedo plane flew by us, skimming the water and dropping his torpedo at the battleships. The chief yelled, "those are Japs and we are being attacked". He then ordered everyone at the fleet landing to board the motor launches and go to battleship row and pick up survivors. As we began heading towards battleship row and hugging the shoreline it was one torpedo plane after another. We saw the huge explosions as each torpedo struck its target. We finally were in the open water of the harbor. Dive-bombers were attacking their targets and after dropping their bombs, the bombers and torpedo plane started machine-gunning rescue boats, tugboats and ships. The torpedo explosions opened up the battleship fuel tank and set the crude oil on fire. We picked men badly burned from the fiery oil, faces burned black as well as their arms, badly wounded screaming from their wounds which were greatly irritated by the salt water, some with missing limbs and some dead. We would bring these men back to the fleet landing for transfer for medical treatment or to temporary morgues, whichever applied. I made three trips to battleship row and my arms and face were covered with crude oil and blood. After the third trip, the chief ordered me back to my ship. To get to it, I ran, zigging and zagging to try to keep out of fire from the planes. There were other military personnel running thru this area of grass and trees. The planes were so low I could plainly see the facial expressions of the pilots and you could hit the planes with a rock. During the rescue operation, we were by the USS West Virginia when a bomb went through the deck of the USS Arizona and exploded in the forward ammo magazine. I never thought I would see a battleship disintegrate as the USS Arizona did sinking (as we heard) in 9 seconds with most of her crew. When I got back to my ship, I was shaking all over and crying as well as yelling with much profanity. I told a cook that I needed a cup (mug) of coffee, which he brought to me. I was shaking so much that even holding the cup with both hands I was spilling it. A couple of shipmates asked me if I had been wounded and I replied that I didn't think so and asked why. They said the blood that was on my arms and face as well as the three bullet holes in my left trouser bell-bottom and two in the right bell-bottom. At this point, I must have turned very white and weak. A close check revealed that I had not been wounded. It either happened as we were picking up survivors and bodies and being machine-gunned that this had happened. I then went to the galley deckhouse and assisted S1c Horn mount a machine gun, which he had retrieved from the armor repair shop and fed the belted ammo as he fired at Jap planes. He had to be very careful, as we were berthed forward of the cruisers USS Honolulu and USS St. Louis. I took a breather and cleaned off the oil and blood. After the second attack we listened to radio reports from radio station KMGB. We feared that the Japs might have had troop ships with the attacking force and would make an amphibious assault. We were thankful that Admiral Nagumo did not launch a third strike because he did not know where our carriers were. Had this occurred, it would have been terrible. There would have been more damage, wounded and deaths. I had turned 18 on April 6, a teenager that in a split second became an adult and veteran of combat. I participated in all major engagements and went back to the west coast to pick up a new ship and head back into the Pacific theatre of operations. I was discharged on December 15, 1945. I took two breaks in service enlisting in the Missouri National Guard, (106th Ord. HAM co. which was called to active duty when the Korean War began) and after being discharged in 1952, I decided to enlist again on March 15, 1955, serving during Vietnam and finally being medically retired on permanent disability on July 14, 1972, with 26 years service with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer (CW3) |
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