All the Gallant Men: An American Sailor's Firsthand Account of Pearl Harbor
By: Donald Stratton, Ken Gire / Narrated By: Mike Ortego
Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
Gripping, relentless, a vivid account and moving tribute
I’d just finished listening to Day of Infamy when I moved onto this, All the Gallant Men, Donald Stratton’s memoir of Pearl Harbor and time in WWII.
When he said he was on the Arizona, I danged near died; I sure as HECK gasped. The former audiobook taught me so much stuff I’d never known (So maaaaybe all that time my dad was telling me about WWII I was kinda sorta tuning him out… as children oft do…?), so when it came to listening to this latter? Good golly gosh, I was horrified!!! I now full well knew that almost half of the fatalities that day came from a single ship, the Arizona. A survivor? Really?!?
Yes, really, and to say that Stratton is capable of relaying shock and horror is an understatement. This audiobook is devastating, is unrelenting, truly captures what a nightmare that day was and what true heroes look like (Turns out? Heroes don’t believe themselves to be heroes…).
The book opens with Stratton’s roots in the Great Depression, of how his family made do, of how despite it all, his quiet, hardworking parents made sure neither he nor his siblings ever knew hunger. Even when all was lost after the devastation of dust storms wiping out his father’s dreams. Stratton tried to find work after high school, but in his small town of Red Cloud, not much could be had. The young men, boys really, who went to Pearl Harbor joined because that was simply a way to eat on a daily basis. Plus, young Stratton thought, maybe he’d get to see the world.
Life aboard the Arizona was vast and hospitable. It was peopled from Small Town America, from Big City USA. But they all came together, all bonded, and except for a few rabble rousers (I’ll mention Joe George here—known for dustups with higher ups and for fighting), it was a place where discipline and self-discipline ruled the day. All of which was tested on December 7th, 1941.
Early morning and Stratton finds himself almost immediately in an inferno, in death and chaos. For him, instantly burned over 2/3 of his body, survival was anything but certain. The Arizona has successfully been targeted and explosions have torn parts of her away; she is engulfed in flames and is soon to be a lost cause. So much so the neighboring ship has ordered its own crew to cut the lines connecting them. And here is where Joe George comes in: He defies orders and instead flings a line to the Arizona where he’s seen Stratton and four others, burned nearly beyond human, and he calls for them to hand-over-hand it over to safety. Stratton, near death, makes it across, even as the oil-slicked and flaming waters below roil, even as passing planes try to strafe these mere remnants of humanity into oblivion.
What follows, after Stratton is taken with other survivors to hospitals, shows that their hell wasn’t over when they got out of the way of the bombs, the gunning. Stratton and others suffer mostly horrific burns, and it’s enough to sicken even the heartiest of medical crews. But even as many die, others cling on, determined to live. And I thought it was soooo awesome the way the people of the Hawaiian islands came together, whether it be to give blood, or it be the girls from the Hotel Street brothels coming to change dressings, empty bedpans, comfort and talk to the injured and the dying.
Then we get to join Stratton as he recovers and rehabilitates his body. But he’s not down for the count. He doesn’t want this Honorable Discharge, not when his memories are entirely filled with the memories of those he served alongside, of those who were annihilated but never gave up. He’s soon back in action, and what we now have is a memoir from a man who was there from the opening salvo of the Pacific War all the way to the very close.
Stratton minces nooooo words when he describes his feelings after coming from there and getting to this point in time (At the time of release, the 75th anniversary was imminent, and Stratton was one of just six living survivors of the Arizona)—He has no problems with the Japanese people but there is NO forgiveness in his heart for the Japanese military men who have had Come to Jesus Moments and who now preach forgiveness. He will NOT take part in handholding kumbaya ceremonies bringing survivors of Pearl Harbor together with their Japanese attackers—he’s incensed and outraged and sees such things as glorified and made-for-show photo ops. But, he adds, perhaps when he’s in a better place, beyond the reach of the pain of this Life, he’ll be able to relent and forgive. Seriously? Made perfect sense to me…
I’ve never experienced a narration by Mike Ortego, so naturally I went into the listen feeling a sense of trepidation. But I was soooo pleasantly surprised by a capable, an emotional, a riveting performance. We hear the fear, the exhaustion in his voice as fire engulfs and bullets strafe; we hear the complete confusion and sorrow as such young young men are shredded, torn, vaporized. And then we get to hear the wonder as he leaves war behind and meets the young beauty who will become his life partner and who will share in his griefs, his joys.
This is an all-around WONderful audiobook, if you can describe ANYthing coming from such a dastardly time wonderful. But it really, really makes you wanna just cheer or hug someone: At no time did Stratton ever feel like giving up. He’s such strong stock, such a tougher breed than saaaaay “I” am… And he makes an absolute case that there were gallant, as opposed to merely brave, men who served up and down during that time.
Hero? Stratton doesn’t believe he is.
Me? Oooooooh, I soooo KNOW the man is!!!
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