MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. — Bob Clark was one of four World War II veterans who shared their memories Tuesday of the day the Japanese launched an assault on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
What You Need To Know
- Veterans gathered in Merritt Island to honor lives lost at Pearl Harbor
- Four World War II veterans recalled their memories of that day in 1941
- Bob Clark, in training in California at the time, went on to work at NASA later
- Airmen were on alert that night to defend the country, Clark said
Dozens of military veterans gathered at the Veteran Memorial Center Museum in Merritt Island to remember the more than 2,400 lives lost during the attack on the Honolulu military base more 80 years ago, the largest loss of American life on U.S. soil during an attack until Sept. 11, 2001.
Clark, 102, said he was about 20 when it happened and was training in Ontario, Calif.
“A number of us went down to Long Beach, California just as the first opportunity we had to get off base,” he said.
He and his friends went to a gun range, and while there, someone ran up to them to give them the news.
“The guy then says, ‘The Japs struck Honolulu. All military return to base.’ That’s what we did,” Clark said.
They stood on guard that night, Clark said, ready to defend their base and country.
He wasn’t afraid to go to battle, but his wife was another story.
“Of course, she was,” Clark said. “She was married to a military man.”
He never got the call-up to go, though. He was chosen to train others for combat.
Clark went on to work with NASA after retiring from the military in 1960, including significant time with the Mercury 7 and Project Gemini programs.