All the gallant men : an American sailor's firsthand account of Pearl Harbor : the first memoir by a USS Arizona survivor

THE FIRST MEMOIR BY A USS ARIZONA SURVIVOR: Donald Stratton, one of the battleship's five living heroes, delivers a "powerful" and "intimate"* eyewitness account of Pearl Harbor and his unforgettable return to the fight At 8:10 a.m. on December 7, 1941, Seaman First Class Donald Stratton was consumed by an inferno. A million pounds of explosives had detonated beneath his battle station aboard the USS Arizona, barely fifteen minutes into Japan’s surprise attack on American forces at Pearl Harbor. Near death and burned across two thirds of his body, Don, a nineteen-year-old Nebraskan who had been steeled by the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, summoned the will to haul himself hand over hand across a rope tethered to a neighboring vessel. Forty-five feet below, the harbor’s flaming, oil-slick water boiled with enemy bullets; all around him the world tore itself apart. In this extraordinary, never-before-told eyewitness account of the Pearl Harbor attack—the only memoir ever written by a survivor of the USS Arizona— ninety-four-year-old veteran Donald Stratton finally shares his unforgettable personal tale of bravery and survival on December 7, 1941, his harrowing recovery, and his inspiring determination to return to the fight. Don and four other sailors made it safely across the same line that morning, a small miracle on a day that claimed the lives of 1,177 of their Arizona shipmates—approximately half the American fatalaties at Pearl Harbor. Sent to military hospitals for a year, Don refused doctors’ advice to amputate his limbs and battled to relearn how to walk. The U.S. Navy gave him a medical discharge, believing he would never again be fit for service, but Don had unfinished business. In June 1944, he sailed back into the teeth of the Pacific War on a destroyer, destined for combat in the crucial battles of Leyte Gulf, Luzon, and Okinawa, thus earning the distinction of having been present for the opening shots and the final major battle of America’s Second World War. As the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack approaches, Don, a great-grandfather of five and one of six living survivors of the Arizona , offers an unprecedentedly intimate reflection on the tragedy that drew America into the greatest armed conflict in history. All the Gallant Men is a book for the ages, one of the most remarkable—and remarkably inspiring—memoirs of any kind to appear in recent years. * Library Journal A Memoir By A Uss Arizona Survivor Describes His Experience Of The Attacks That Left Him With Burns Over More Than Sixty-five Percent Of His Body, His Resolve To Reenter Service After A Grueling Recovery, And His Contributions To Some Of The Pacific's Most Violent Battles. The Most Gripping, Intimate, And Inspiring Account Of Pearl Harbor, The First Memoir Ever Published By A Uss Arizona Survivor. At 8:06 A.m. On December 7, 1941, Seaman First Class Donald Stratton Was Consumed By An Inferno. A Million Pounds Of Explosives Had Detonated Beneath His Battle Station Aboard The Uss Arizona, Barely Fifteen Minutes Into Japan's Surprise Attack On American Forces At Pearl Harbor. Near Death And Burned Across Two Thirds Of His Body, Don, A 19-year-old Nebraskan Who Had Been Steeled By The Great Depression And Dust Bowl, Summoned The Will To Haul Himself Hand Over Hand Across A Rope Tethered To A Neighboring Vessel. Forty-five Feet Below, The Harbor's Flaming, Oil-slick Water Boiled With Enemy Bullets; All Around Him The World Tore Itself Apart.^ In This Extraordinary, Never-before-told Eyewitness Account Of The Pearl Harbor Attack--the Only Memoir Ever Written By A Survivor Of The Uss Arizona--94-year-old Donald Stratton Finally Shares His Unforgettable Personal Tale Of Bravery And Survival On December 7, 1941, His Harrowing Recovery, And His Inspiring Determination To Return To The Fight. Don And Four Other Sailors Made It Safely Across The Same Line That Morning, A Small Miracle On A Day That Claimed The Lives Of 1,177 Of Their Arizona Shipmates--approximately Half The American Fatalities At Pearl Harbor. Sent To Military Hospitals For A Year, Don Refused Doctors' Advice To Amputate His Limbs And Battled To Relearn How To Walk. The U.s. Navy Gave Him A Medical Discharge, Believing He Would Never Again Be Fit For Service, But Don Had Unfinished Business.^ In June 1944, He Sailed Back Into The Teeth Of The Pacific War On A Destroyer, Destined For Combat In The Crucial Battles Of Leyte Gulf, Luzon, And Okinawa, Thus Earning The Distinction Of Having Been Present For The Opening Shots And The Final Major Battle Of America's Second World War. As The 75th Anniversary Of The Pearl Harbor Attacks Approaches, Don, A Great-grandfather Of Five And One Of Six Living Survivors Of The Arizona, Offers An Unprecedentedly Intimate Reflection On The Tragedy That Drew America Into The Greatest Armed Conflict In History. This Is A Book For The Ages, One Of The Most Remarkable---and Remarkably Inspiring--memoirs Of Any Kind To Appear In Recent Years.--from Dust Jacket. Prologue: The Awakening -- A Child Of The Depression -- To Sea On The Arizona -- The Last Night -- December 7th -- The Damage -- Among Angels -- America Responds -- Recovery -- Home To Red Cloud -- Back In The Fight -- Endgame -- The Lessons Of Pearl Harbor -- Remembering The Arizona -- Preparing For The Seventy-fifth Anniversary -- Epilogue: The Reunion. Donald Stratton With Ken Gire. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 273-287) And Index. The extraordinary first and only memoir by a survivor of the USS Arizona, published in conjunction with the seventy-fifth anniversary of Pearl Harbor. A sailor's eyewitness, moment-by-moment account of the Japanese surprise attack that sunk the battleship and decimated the U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii on December 7, 1941?and his inspiring return to active duty to carry on the Allied fight in the Pacific An unforgettable and moving story of tragedy, heroism, resilience, and redemption that is sure to become an enduring document of American history, this is the only memoir published by a survivor of the USS Arizona, the battleship that bore the brunt of the massive Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1941, the Arizona was moored in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, alongside seven other American battleships. At 7:55 a.m., the leisurely Sunday morning's serenity was broken by the drone of bomb-laden Japanese Zeros swooping from the sky. The Arizona was the first battleship targeted in a massive surprise attack by the Empire of Japan; 353 imperial war planes swarmed Battleship Row and neighboring Hickam Airfield in a meticulously planned surprise assault launched to cripple America's Pacific Fleet. Amid the terrifying chaos of explosions and incessant machine gun fire, nineteen-year-old Seaman First Class Donald Stratton raced to his battle station on the Arizona. Barely fifteen minutes into the attack, a 1,760-pound armor-piercing bomb hit the ship, setting off a million pounds of munitions and 180,000 gallons of aviation fuel aboard. The explosion lifted the massive battleship out of the water causing the forward deck to buckle, and engulfed it in an enormous fifty-foot fireball that tore through the anti-aircraft platform where Don and his team were stationed. Burned over more than sixty-five percent of his body, Don and his gunnery team miraculously escaped the inferno; using their charred hands, they climbed across a seventy-foot-long rope stretched forty-five feet above flaming, oil-slicked water to reach the Vestal moored nearby. While Don made it out alive, 1,177 of his crewmates perished?more than half the American casualty total of the attack. But this remarkable story does not end here. After more than a year of grueling treatment, including learning to walk again, Don recovered and doggedly battled Navy bureaucracy to re-enlist. Determined to take the fight to the enemy, he participated in some of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific, including the invasion of New Guinea, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Told in remarkable, never-before-revealed first-person detail, this powerful and uplifting memoir of war and survival resonates with the spirit, heart, and undaunted courage of such beloved bestsellers as Unbroken and The Boys in the Boat The New York Times bestselling memoir of survival and heroism at Pearl Harbor "An unforgettable story of unfathomable courage." — Reader's Digest In this, the first memoir by a USS Arizona sailor, Donald Stratton delivers an inspiring and unforgettable eyewitness account of the Pearl Harbor attack and his remarkable return to the fight. At 8:10 a.m. on December 7, 1941, Seaman First Class Donald Stratton was consumed by an inferno. A million pounds of explosives had detonated beneath his battle station aboard the USS Arizona, barely fifteen minutes into Japan's surprise attack on American forces at Pearl Harbor. Near death and burned across two thirds of his body, Don, a nineteen-year-old Nebraskan who had been steeled by the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, summoned the will to haul himself hand over hand across a rope tethered to a neighboring vessel. Forty-five feet below, the harbor's flaming, oil-slick water boiled with enemy bullets; all around him the world tore itself apart. In this extraordinary, never-before-told eyewitness account of the Pearl Harbor attack—the only memoir ever written by a survivor of the USS Arizona—ninety-four-year-old veteran Donald Stratton finally shares his unforgettable personal tale of bravery and survival on December 7, 1941, his harrowing recovery, and his inspiring determination to return to the fight. Don and four other sailors made it safely across the same line that morning, a small miracle on a day that claimed the lives of 1,177 of their Arizona shipmates—approximately half the American fatalaties at Pearl Harbor. Sent to military hospitals for a year, Don refused doctors' advice to amputate his limbs and battled to relearn how to walk. The U.S. Navy gave him a medical discharge, believing he would never again be fit for service, but Don had unfinished business. In June 1944, he sailed back into the teeth of the Pacific War on a destroyer, destined for combat in the crucial battles of Leyte Gulf, Luzon, and Okinawa, thus earning the distinction of having been present for the opening shots and the final major battle of America's Second World War. As the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack approaches, Don, a great-grandfather of five and one of six living survivors of the Arizona, offers an unprecedentedly intimate reflection on the tragedy that drew America into the greatest armed conflict in history. All the Gallant Men is a book for the ages, one of the most remarkable—and remarkably inspiring—memoirs of any kind to appear in recent years. *Library Journal The most gripping, intimate, and inspiring account of Pearl Harbor. The first memoir ever published by a USS Arizona survivor. At 8:10 a.m. on December 7, 1941, Seaman First Class Donald Stratton was consumed by an inferno. A million pounds of explosives had detonated beneath his battle station aboard the USS Arizona, barely fifteen minutes into Japans surprise attack on American forces at Pearl Harbor. Near death and burned across two thirds of his body, Don, a nineteen-year-old Nebraskan who had been steeled by the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, summoned the will to haul himself hand over hand across a rope tethered to a neighboring vessel. Forty-five feet below, the harbors flaming, oil-slick water boiled with enemy bullets; all around him the world tore itself apart. In this extraordinary, never-before-told eyewitness account of the Pearl Harbor attackthe only memoir ever written by a survivor of theUSS Arizona ninety-four-year-old veteran Donald Stratton finally shares his unforgettable personal tale of bravery and survival on December 7, 1941, his harrowing recovery, and his inspiring determination to return to the fight. Don and four other sailors made it safely across the same line that morning, a small miracle on a day that claimed the lives of 1,177 of their Arizona shipmatesapproximately half the American fatalaties at Pearl Harbor. Sent to military hospitals for a year, Don refused doctors advice to amputate his limbs and battled to relearn how to walk. The U.S. Navy gave him a medical discharge, believing he would never again be fit for service, but Don had unfinished business. In June 1944, he sailed back into the teeth of the Pacific War on a destroyer, destined for combat in the crucial battles of Leyte Gulf, Luzon, and Okinawa, thus earning the distinction of having been present for the opening shots and the final major battle of Americas Second World War. As the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack approaches, Don, a great-grandfather of five and one of six living survivors of the Arizona , offers an unprecedentedly intimate reflection on the tragedy that drew America into the greatest armed conflict in history. All the Gallant Men is a book for the ages, one of the most remarkableand remarkably inspiringmemoirs of any kind to appear in recent years. At 8:06 a.m. on December 7, 1941, Seaman First Class Donald Stratton was consumed by an inferno. A million pounds of explosives had detonated beneath his battle station aboard the USS Arizona, barely fifteen minutes into Japan’s surprise attack on American forces at Pearl Harbor. Near death and burned across two thirds of his body, Don, a nineteen-year-old Nebraskan who had been steeled by the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, summoned the will to haul himself hand over hand across a rope tethered to a neighboring vessel. Forty-five feet below, the harbor’s flaming, oil-slick water boiled with enemy bullets; all around him the world tore itself apart. In this extraordinary never-before-told eyewitness account of the Pearl Harbor attack—the only memoir ever written by a survivor of the USS Arizona—ninety-four-year-old veteran Donald Stratton finally shares his unforgettable personal tale of bravery and survival on December 7, 1941, his harrowing recovery, and his inspiring determination to return to the fight. Don and four other sailors made it safely across the same line that morning, a small miracle on a day that claimed the lives of 1,177 of their Arizona shipmates—approximately half the American fatalaties at Pearl Harbor. Sent to military hospitals for a year, Don refused doctors’ advice to amputate his limbs and battled to relearn how to walk. The U.S. Navy gave him a medical discharge, believing he would never again be fit for service, but Don had unfinished business. In June 1944, he sailed back into the teeth of the Pacific War on a destroyer, destined for combat in the crucial battles of Leyte Gulf, Luzon, and Okinawa, thus earning the distinction of having been present for the opening shots and the final major battle of America’s Second World War. As the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack approaches, Don, a great-grandfather of five and one of five living survivors of the Arizona, offers an unprecedentedly intimate reflection on the tragedy that drew America into the greatest armed conflict in history. All the Gallant Men is a book for the ages, one of the most remarkable—and remarkably inspiring—memoirs of any kind to appear in recent years. *Library Journal At 8:06 a.m. on December 7, 1941, Seaman First Class Donald Stratton was consumed by an inferno. A million pounds of explosives had detonated beneath his battle station aboard the USS Arizona, barely fifteen minutes into Japan's surprise attack on American forces at Pearl Harbor. Near death and burned across two thirds of his body, Don, a 19-year-old Nebraskan who had been steeled by the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, summoned the will to haul himself hand over hand across a rope tethered to a neighboring vessel. Forty-five feet below, the harbor's flaming, oil-slick water boiled with enemy bullets; all around him the world tore itself apart. In this eyewitness account of the Pearl Harbor attack -- the first memoir by a survivor of the USS Arizona -- 94-year-old Donald Stratton shares his tale of bravery and survival on December 7, 1941, his harrowing recovery, and his determination to return to the fight. Don and four other sailors made it safely across the same line that morning, a small miracle on a day that claimed the lives of 1,177 of their Arizona shipmates -- approximately half the American fatalities at Pearl Harbor. Sent to military hospitals for a year, Don refused doctors' advice to amputate his limbs and battled to relearn how to walk. The U.S. Navy gave him a medical discharge, believing he would never again be fit for service, but Don had unfinished business. In June 1944, he sailed back into the teeth of the Pacific War on a destroyer, destined for combat in the crucial battles of Leyte Gulf, Luzon, and Okinawa, thus earning the distinction of having been present for the opening shots and the final major battle of America's Second World War. As the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks approaches, Don, a great-grandfather of five and one of six living survivors of the Arizona, offers an intimate reflection on the tragedy that drew America into the greatest armed conflict in history **THE FIRST MEMOIR BY A USS** **SURVIVOR: Donald Stratton, one of the battleship's five living heroes, delivers a "powerful" and "intimate"\* eyewitness account of Pearl Harbor and his unforgettable return to the fight**__Arizona,__ __Arizona—____Arizona____Arizona____All the Gallant Men____Library Journal__