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Honolulu – Pearl Harbor Survivor Alfred Rodrigues is turning 98 years old, and the public is invited to help celebrate. Join us at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center’s Aloha Court at 10:30 AM on Wednesday, February 7, to wish him a happy birthday! Celebrations will include jazz music, a Hawaiian blessing, and a speech by monument historian Daniel Martinez. The media is welcome to cover the event.
Born in Kauai in 1920, “Uncle Al” joined the US Navy Reserves and was called to active duty in 1940. On the morning of December 7, 1941, he was on watch duty and saw the USS Ward dropping depth charges on an unidentified submarine near the harbor entrance. A short time later, he was finishing breakfast when he heard explosions. He and his fellow sailors didn’t think much of it until the general alarm sounded and they saw the incoming Japanese planes. They ran to the armory, where Al was issued a .30 caliber rifle.
“They were flying low enough that you could see the pilots’ faces,” he said of his experience.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Al was transferred to various locations throughout the war before returning to Hawaii, where he retired after 24 years of service. Al has been volunteering at the visitor center for many years, meeting and speaking to thousands of Pearl Harbor visitors.
For more about the monument, please visit www.nps.gov/valr and www.facebook.com/ValorNPS.
Last updated: September 10, 2018