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Pearl Harbor Survivor Shares Memories During Molino Library Program
November 6, 2016
Francis L. Emond was lined up with his fellow Navy members for morning colors on December 7, 1941, when he watched the ships in front of him sink in the attack on Pearl Harbor. The 98-year old related his memories as a Pearl Harbor survivor Saturday afternoon at the Molino Branch Library.
He was part of the band lined up on stern of the USS Pennsylvania, which was dry docked with clear view of the harbor. His memories of that morning, December 7, 1941, are very poignant.
“We could look all over Pearl Harbor and see all the ships that were anchored,” he said. “It was a beautiful sight, a very clear and nice morning. The air was very fragrant in Hawaii; you smelled flowers there all the time. A very, very pleasant place to be.
“I looked up and coming in…was a line of planes. The first one made a turn off, and something come up off the airplane. I thought the plane was coming apart, so I watched it, and the object flew down across where we were and hit the air station on the island there.
“It exploded in smoke and flames and made a big noise and startled us all of course. Looked back up at the airplanes and you could see the big red spots on the airplanes. So we knew that the Japanese were attacking. About that time, you could look up and the sky seemed to be full of them.
“It looked like they were floating in the skies, not that the jets we see today and zooming everywhere…”
“We felt the ship shake…and we knew we had been hit a bomb…”
“All had smoke and multiple fires and smoke. It was a terrible site.”
Saturday’s event , commemorated the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and was planned in conjunction with the Molino Mid-County Historical Society. The University of West Florida Historic Trust also provided a display of reproductions of WWII uniforms and other memorabilia for the event.
Courtesy images for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
3 Responses to “Pearl Harbor Survivor Shares Memories During Molino Library Program”
THANK YOU, Mr. Emond, for your service, and for sharing your experience with our community. God Bless America.
We heard a real American Hero today at this presentation..it is a pleasant relief from all the negative presidential advertisements that have bombarded us!! THANK YOU,MR FRANCIS EMOND FOR YOUR SHARING OF FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE IN THE LAST OFFICIAL DECLARED WAR OUR COUNTRY WAS INVOLVED IN.A BIG THANKS ALSO GOES TO MID COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY..MOLINO..WHO SPONSORED THIS HONORABLE EVENY.
This man needs to be at our schools, sharing this story which should never be forgotten. Thank-you for your service Mr. Emond.