Robert Olsen US Navy Pearl Harbor Naval Station |
My Pearl Harbor 1941 Fifty years to this date, December 7th, around eight, To breakfast, I was hurrying, so as not to be late. This place was called Mobile Base Hospital number Two. It was under construction, and I was part of the crew. In an area called Aiea Heights, Where you could look down on Pearl with all her sights. When out of the sky came Japan's air from her Navy, They flew in without any if's, can't or maybe's. Death and havoc on Pearl, was their game So now they live with their il-gotten fame. No breakfast for me this day, As I turned and ran in dismay. This really wasn't turning out to be fun, You see, our paymaster had the only gun. "Take cover in the hills," came our Captain's yell, With machetes, axes and shovels, we ran like hell. Cover we found in ditches, behind rocks, and in the ravine. We hid behind anything, to escape the bullets, shrapnel, and sight of that awful scene. Really scary for me I was only fifteen. We stayed in the hills for an hour or two, Hugging anything that covered us, like glue. Bullets, shrapnel and planes overhead, Had everybody thinking, your gonna be dead. Finally came orders, "Report to Base." Down the hills we ran, in great haste. "Get on the trucks," came the command, "We're going to Pearl, to lend a hand." Down the road from Aiea the trucks did fly, While all aboard, kept an eye on the sky. Into Pearl the truck rolled, Such a scene of death and havoc is best untold. The waters of Pearl were covered with oil and all ablaze. You couldn't see anything for the smoke and haze. From the trucks we all jumped and ran, To help those in need our fellow man. Some were in the water, some were on the land. Men and ships, dead and dying, were lying on the sand. The dead were passed by, to help the living. All of our hospital training, we were giving. Some of those we helped made it, some did not. But we gave our best, and that means a lot. All day and into the night we worked, Most were tired, hungry and some were irked To think the gold old USA, could get caught like this, Just sitting on her haunches in peaceful bliss. Finally, "Back to the trucks," the order came. Don't know how I kept from going insane. That night we slept back in the hills. Scary, but to sleep, required no pills. Up at five, glad to be alive. And MOB Two hospital was like a behive; Everything was going full blast, Including old glory, still flying from the mast. This is my thoughts of fifty years past, While looking across the bay at the Arizona and knowing that this was probably my last. The rest of the story, most people know. Except to say, America, stay alert and on your toes Bob Olsen Written after the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor |
Information provided by Lester Ritchie. |
