66°
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
7 Day Forecast
Follow our weather team on social media

Pearl Harbor survivor tells unforgettable story

8 years 3 months 2 weeks ago Tuesday, December 08 2015 Dec 8, 2015 December 08, 2015 7:46 AM December 08, 2015 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - Pearl Harbor is a day of remembrance for many, but one woman has a story that no one could forget.

Lydia Grant was invited to take a trip onto the U.S.S. Arizona about 74 years and one month ago.

Captain Franklin Van Valkenburgh, was a college friend of Grant's father, and invited her and six friends onboard for the day.

"I was all excited, going on a major ship," Grant said. "He was sending his gate for me at the dock."

The man at the gate never showed up. That day, Pearl Harbor was under attack.

"I woke up, looked out the window, and saw these torpedo planes coming in."

Grant thought those planes were part of an airplane show, but as she looked closer, she saw the Japanese rising sun on the wings. Her mother told her to stay inside, but like any teenager, she took off running for her life.

"When I was running, machine gun bullets were going all around me, and I thought they'd get me, but they didn't," Grant said while smiling.

She would never get the chance to see the ship, or its leader again.

"Of course, I'd never see him again. He passed away."

Lydia Grant says if all goes as planned, she will be back in Hawaii for the 75th anniversary next year.

More News

Desktop News

Click to open Continuous News in a sidebar that updates in real-time.
Radar
7 Days