The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Pearl Harbor Survivor Gene Reinhardt, 95, Remembers

From the December 4, 2016, Shelby (N.C.) Star "Pearl Harbor survivor from Gaston County part of a dwindling breed" by Michael Barrett.

Gene Reichardt, 95 enlisted in the U.S. Army after dropping out of Shelby High School in 1940.  He was a technician fifth grade and oversaw radio and telephone communications in Hawaii.  Schofield Barracks was about 15 miles away and Wheeler Army Airfield, a major Japanese target, much closer.

After Pearl Harbor, he was transferred to Australia and later participated in many landings in the Pacific Theater, including New Guinea.  He was discharged in 1945.

It is not known for sure how many Pearl Harbor survivors remain.  In 2013, one person estimated it was between 2,000 and 2,500.

--GreGen

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