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Podcasts Take Two
'We were wondering if we were going to survive': Pearl Harbor vet recalls infamous day
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Dec 7, 2016
Listen • 5:48
'We were wondering if we were going to survive': Pearl Harbor vet recalls infamous day
During the attacks 75 years ago, Army veteran Wetzel Sanders manned a .50 caliber machine gun and shot down a fighter plane. He shares his story with Take Two.
In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, sailors stand among wrecked airplanes at Ford Island Naval Air Station as they watch the explosion of the USS Shaw in the background, during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy)
Sailors stand among wrecked airplanes at Ford Island Naval Air Station as they watch the explosion of the USS Shaw in the background, during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941.
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(AP Photo/U.S. Navy)
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During the attacks 75 years ago, Army veteran Wetzel Sanders manned a .50 caliber machine gun and shot down a fighter plane. He shares his story with Take Two.

Memorial services are being held today to mark 75 years since Japanese forces attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

In Southern California, there's a remembrance ceremony in San Pedro aboard the battleship Iowa to honor those lost on that infamous day. 

Meanwhile, in Honolulu, some of the last remaining survivors of the attack will gather at the memorial to remember. Among them, Wetzel Sanders of West Virginia

He was serving in the Army, stationed near Pearl Harbor in 1941. Now 93, Sanders is the last living member of his company.  He shared his experience with Take Two. 

Click the play button below to hear his story. Headphones are recommended. 

(Click the "BONUS AUDIO" link to hear more about Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō  Abe's upcoming visit to Pearl Harbor.)