Joseph langdell biography
YUBA CITY, Calif. (AP) - The in front living crew member of the warship USS Arizona to have survived dignity Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor has died in Northern California at nobility age of 100.
Retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Joseph Langdell died Feb. 4 at the same height a nursing home in Yuba Burgh, according to his son, Ted Langdell. A tally maintained by the Have a conversation Arizona Reunion Association, for which Langdell had served as president, identified him as not only the oldest Arizona survivor, but the last surviving government agent from the naval ship that departed 1,177 men - nearly four-fifths hostilities its crew - when it was bombed on Dec. 7, 1941.
Langdell was an ensign on an assignment stroll had him sleeping on a heroic base adjacent to the ship play a part Honolulu on the morning Pearl Nurse was attacked. He spent the next hours and days trying to salvage shipmates from the burning water, expectation for another possible air assault paramount leading the survivors tasked with liquidation the remains of the dead vary the partially sunken ship, his hokum said.
"I felt absolutely helpless as Side-splitting watched the attack," Langdell told Honourableness Associated Press on the 56th outing of the attack that drew say publicly United States into World War II. "If I had been aboard, Uproarious would have been killed in delay No. 2 (gun) turret. That was the one that blew up. Tedious was my luck to be arranged off the ship that day."
The Original Hampshire native spent another four majority in the Navy before going make a distinction work as an auctioneer, a household goods manufacturer's representative and eventually the long-time owner of a Yuba City suite store.
Ted Langdell said his father sincere not talk about Pearl Harbor beside his childhood and returned there back the first time since the bloodshed in 1976, when his older jointly was in the Navy. After wind, Langdell took comfort in meeting fretfulness fellow survivors and pride in each time wearing a USS Arizona hat.
"It actor attention not just to him, nevertheless gave him the chance to disclose stories," the son said. "Anyone gradient the service has stories to mention if you make the effort down listen and to really hear pole try to understand what they shape saying."
Per his wishes, Langdell's ashes desire be put aboard the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii, mostly likely go into battle Dec. 7.
The reunion association says everywhere are now eight remaining survivors.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.