"They were real close. When they were strafing me, before I went, they were strafing, torpedo bombers, I think they were."
On the morning of December 7, 1941, Frank Regina, then a young machinist mate aboard the USS Utah docked Pearl Harbor, HI, was sleeping in, a privilege from working a previous shift. But shortly before 8am, as he was finishing breakfast, his ship came under attack from the Japanese Navy.
He rushed to his battle station, and just as he arrived, the ship was rocked by another explosion and began rolling while taking on water. Frank bolted to the top of the ship and leapt overboard into the water below. He later reached relative safety at Ford Field, where he got fresh clothes and returned to the fight. Frank remained in the Pacific with the US Navy for the duration of the war before returning home to Pittsburgh, PA.
The attack on Pearl Harbor was just one day in Frank's military career, the rest of his story is no less fascinating. Frank's full interview, in his own words, is below.
