DELAWARE HOSPICE PATIENT AND VETERAN REMEMBERS PEARL HARBOR
By Beverly Crowl

 

With the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, John Ross’ memory isn’t what it used to be, but his memories of the attack on Pearl Harbor 68 years ago are vivid.

 

John was 18 when he joined the U.S. Navy early in 1940.  He said, “I didn’t have great prospects after high school and decided it would be a good idea.”  He loved being on a ship and traveling, and on the morning of December 7th, 1941, he was looking forward to touring Oahu island with a fellow sailor.

 

John was standing out on deck of the USS Selfridge destroyer early that Sunday morning when he suddenly saw planes circling the harbor.  “I assumed they were our guys, holding practice exercises, so I wasn’t paying much attention.  I saw the lead plane drop a torpedo in the water, and I still didn’t catch on.  I thought, “Holy mackerel, that’s dangerous practicing in the harbor.  Sometimes they did practice with non-explosive torpedoes, which would hit the water and sit there.  But then I saw an explosion and began to realize that either that was a huge mistake or we’re under attack.”
 
“It’s funny what goes through your mind.  I immediately wondered how the Germans managed to reach us here in the Pacific.   Within moments, however, we got a better view of the attacking aircraft and you couldn’t miss the bright red “rising sun” insignia of Japan.”

 

John turned to a friend beside him, who was too shocked to even speak.  “He just kept shaking my arm and pointing, but he couldn’t talk.  The naval air station in the middle of the harbor was in flames.  Suddenly it seemed everything was blowing up.  I watched the battleship Arizona sink to the bottom of the harbor with men trapped inside.”

 

The USS Selfridge had just returned from Australia and hadn’t refueled.  John said, “We couldn’t do anything but sit there.  My battle station was up high by the bridge, and I saw an airplane aiming at me.  I didn’t want to run—and appear cowardly—so I sort of walked as fast as I possibly could to a safe side of the bridge.”

 

PHOTO:  USS SELFRIDGE

 

“Things were pretty hectic, to say the least, but we were well-trained and everyone did their job.  We had to break into the metal cabinet of our ammunition locker as no one there had a key, and then we were able to fire back at our attackers.  I managed to put a few holes in one aircraft with the 50 caliber machine gun at my battle station.”

 

As soon as the raid was over, John’s destroyer was refueled and they got underway.  Leaving the harbor, they passed another huge battleship, beached, and laying on its side.  John thought the whole Japanese navy would be out there, “But we only found one submarine to fire on.”  As far as casualties on the USS Selfridge, he said, “We were pretty lucky.  We only had one sailor injured when he slipped and fell.”

 

For the next few years, John served as a medic, patrolling the islands of the Pacific with both the Navy and the Marine Corps.  One of his worst experiences of those years occurred in Guam.  John remembered, “We had to drive a mile or so over a reef with our jeeps, which were sort-of waterproof, as we were being shelled by the Japanese.  My jeep quit about halfway in.  Fortunately I got a tow from an amphibious tank going by, who pulled me the rest of the way.  I can tell you it was pretty uncomfortable for a while.”

 

Another incident in Guam touched John.  “A native girl approached our camp to ask me, as the medic, to come help her ill sister.  We took the ambulance, and the girl directed me way back in the hills.  As soon as I saw her older sister, I knew she was seriously ill.  So I loaded her on the ambulance and got her back to the camp for the doctor to do what he could to treat her.    Years later, back in Philadelphia, I received a letter addressed to “John Ross, US Navy, Philadelphia.”  It was a letter from that girl thanking me for helping her sister.

 

John was eventually transferred to an air station in Georgetown, Delaware.  One night, he went to a dance in Seaford where he met a special young woman, named Pansie.  They were married soon after, and enjoyed 63 years together and a wonderful life with their son and daughter.  He attended the Wharton School of Business on the GI bill, and worked for Ford and then the Burroughs Corporation, where he became Director of Contracts.

 

John became familiar with Delaware Hospice when Pansie was tragically diagnosed with brain cancer.  He said, “I still miss her every day and I always will.”

 

With a progression of Alzheimer’s disease, John and his family rely again on the expertise of Delaware Hospice’s staff.  John appreciates the support, especially of his nurse who comes in to check on him regularly, and his certified nursing assistant who provides personal care.  He said, “Everyone at Delaware Hospice is nice.”

 

On the occasion of Pearl Harbor Day, Delaware Hospice salutes and offers gratitude to John Ross and all veterans.  It is a great honor and privilege to serve you now.