One of the mess guys was called back to work in the engine room. When we got him back he looked like he had been to hell, he said that he felt fine at 5 minutes but would pass out after 6 minutes. When we secured from General Quarters I went back and put my boots on. For the next ten years or so, as soon as I would get out of bed I would put my shoes on. To this day I will not leave the house bare foot.
Some fears die hard.
Somewhere in their anger and fear they forgot that we were their brothers, sons and fathers that they had sent off to war. I never knew you in life. We may have passed each other at sometime on the ship or in port and never knew it. We met on the flight deck the day you died. We had just armed the plane on the catapult and were waiting to launch it.