A memory worth fighting for

They are scattered about retired U.S. Navy Capt. Robert O’Neill’s living room — relics of war.

A Japanese flag is tucked in a protected sleeve. Navy hats sit on bookshelves. Pictures pasted to poster board are propped up on his couch. They depict young men fishing victims out of water, dwarfed by mangled warships that only an hour before were afloat in Pearl Harbor.

It happened faster than he could think.

One moment O’Neill was walking to breakfast, the next he was in a boat recovering the dead from the water at Pearl Harbor.

Japanese planes were flying so low he said he could see the pilots. The attack ended just as fast as it began, but O’Neill didn’t stop.

“For 30 hours (we were) just running back and forth,” O’Neill said. “I just remember picking up bodies and picking up the injured.”

What was supposed to be a four-day stop on his way to pick up a submarine from Australia turned into two weeks.

“It was a blur, but you remember certain things,” O’Neill said. Then he laughed. “I don’t know where breakfast went.”

At 16, O’Neill followed his country into a war that would define a generation.

Now 92, O’Neill said his actions on Dec. 7, 1941, were an exception to what he calls a religion of cowardice. However, friend and organizer of the Sarasota Memorial Day Parade Dan Kennedy sees it differently.

“He went into the bay during the time the bombs were falling,” Kennedy said. “It’s just an amazing thing that he did.”

As Kennedy sees it, O’Neill’s actions are worth rewarding.

He’ll receive recognition not only for his service during the attack on Pearl Harbor, but also for his support

service after the Battle of Midway.

This year’s parade recognizes the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Midway, a decisive U.S. victory that ultimately shifted the momentum of the war in the Pacific theater.

It’s remembered as a milestone, but at the time it was hardly a headline for O’Neill.

“We were in Tokyo Bay when the Battle of Midway was won,” O’Neill said. “It was just another battle, that’s all.”

During World War II, he fought in the Pacific, provided support after U.S. forces took Guam and was in a submarine 65 feet under water in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945.

“We were just doing our job and that was it,” O’Neill said. “We did what we had to do.”

He’s modest about his military service, often making jokes about his devout cowardice while boasting a military resume including the entirety of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

The history of those wars has largely been condensed to dates in textbooks, but for O’Neill, with his photos and memorabilia, that history is tangible.

For him, the stories are easy to remember, even as younger generations begin to forget the names and battles that won the war.

Although he is being honored for his bravery at this year’s Memorial Day Parade, O’Neill would be there regardless.

He hasn’t missed a parade since he moved to Bradenton in 1987. He’ll spend the day remembering — the battles, the men, the loss. He said he doesn’t remember anyone in particular, just the sacrifice of so many.

“You think about all the guys that lost their lives and all the guys that have passed on,” O’Neill said.

He often gives speeches at schools about his service, particularly about his experience during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He said he isn’t much of an orator and doesn’t like to prepare in advance, but some words, like the lyrics of 1942’s “Let’s Remember Pearl Harbor” by Don Reid and Sammy Kaye, he feels bound to repeat:

“Let’s remember Pearl Harbor as we go to meet the foe. Let’s remember Pearl Harbor as we did the Alamo. We will always remember how they died for liberty. Let’s remember Pearl Harbor and go onto victory.”

“So, if we can pass those words on down, we can keep the memory of Pearl Harbor alive,” O’Neill said.