Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition Quotes

“The powerful blast first entered the director through the starboard hatchway, where Dvorak sat—in a direct line with the incoming fireball—hands tight on his steering wheel’s brodie knobs. The concussion and fireball hit him first—full force—while it raced starboard to port. As if a rag doll, Dvorak was at once lifted from his position, and slammed back, hard, against his fixed metal seat. The force then caught Stratton in the face and chest; grabbed and slammed him against the bulkhead and, according to Stratton, “…rattled me around like a piñata.” “I thought I was going blind, from the fire”, Stratton would tell Lauren, years later. On the platform, Zeke had already decided to head back inside. He managed to grab hold of the hatchway handles just as the blast raced through and circumnavigated the director. The force of the concussion hit him in the back, and face-on. As if a spirit’s presence had seized his body, it grabbed at Zimmerman’s torso and bent him forward, then backwards. The impact ripped his grip from the door handles, sucked him into the flames, and dispatched him, hard, against the platform’s railing. Inside, Hollowell was propelled backwards, across the steel cube. His head slammed against the range finder with a forceful blow, and his body was dumped next to Lott—who had pulled Lauren’s blanket tighter across his own head. The hellish fireball had sucked oxygen from the cube, shot across the steel shell, and merged with a second blast of flames through the port and rear hatchways. As if in a boxing match—in a futile attempt to protect his face from being hit by the fire and heat—Lauren held tight to the range finder. Instinct caused him to raise his right arm around the viewport, for protection.”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story

“The captain’s and admiral’s bridge—and those inside, were incinerated as the explosive fire enveloped the starboard director, shot over the sky control platform, wrapped itself around the port-side director, and then climbed the main mast and beyond, as it chased the acrid, black, mushroom cloud—and created the perfect fire storm.”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story

“The expanding wave of intense heat caused his exterior optical glass to explode, as the blast created its own hurricane force winds that propelled the monstrous fireball outward and skyward.”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story

“Body parts and chunks of steel landed on Ford Island. And anyone caught forward or amidships were either incinerated or sent into the burning, oil-covered water.”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story

“Venting toward port, then starboard, the violent concussion blew many of Arizona's and Vestal’s crews off its decks and into the water. Fires that had burned on Vestal were blown out by the blast’s force.”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story

“The concussion from the main explosion, was intense—a force so large that, without discrimination, it blew officers and sailors off the decks of Arizona, Vestal, Nevada, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Arizona slammed down hard. Combined with the explosive force, it cut through the harbor’s water supply line that fed Ford Island, and created a ten-foot tidal wave that plowed into its banks.”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story

“As though ignition had been triggered on an enormous rocket, Arizona’s skin blew open and vented a propulsive force, so enormous, that it raised its thirty-seven ton hull over thirty feet above waterline.”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story

“The bomb’s load of packed TriNitroAnisole—a “moderate” explosive in and of itself, was equivalent to around 107 sticks of dynamite. But when combined with 1.3 million pounds of explosive black powder, and over a million gallons of Bunker-C diesel fuel and aviation gasoline, the explosive power was equal to more than 525 tons of TNT. At”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story

“Two miles above Oahu, Lieutenant Shojiro Kondo, the Nakajima bombardier for lead pilot Tadashi Kusumi, found a target and commenced release of his payload. It contained 132 solid pounds of toxic, pale yellow cast crystals that formed the explosive, TriNitroAnisole. Starting its descent, the warhead picked up speed and moved with purpose—averaging over 377 feet per second. Its kinetic energy increased, as it sought the target. Within 26 seconds, it would be found.”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story

“Any Navy man—enlisted or officer—sent to a Captain’s Mast, often held on the ship’s forecastle “…was in deep trouble.” Not as hard on a sailor as court-martial, but it could be serious enough to get up to 30 days in the galley, confinement to quarters, loss of pay, extra duties,
reduction of grade/rank, or other punishments handed out by the CO or XO.”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story

“At this time, in nineteen thirty-nine, radar aboard Arizona had not yet been introduced, nor had the ship been retrofitted to include two bridge wings that would support twin anti-aircraft directors, above the admiralty bridge. Bruner would eventually be assigned to one of them, to assist in optically measuring target range, bearing and elevation, with his fellow crew mates, for transmission of coordinates down”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story

“There’s just one thing that upset me… even today. When civilians learn my Navy rank was ‘Fire Control,’ they immediately think of me as a fireman, who’d put out fires on the ship.” “Always have to explain the Navy term, Fire Control, means I was on a crew, as highly trained as a fireman… but with a different set of skills. In Fire Control, we helped manage the armament of the ship, by determining firing solutions to be used against the enemy.”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story

“With influence and pressure from the Navy, the cathouses—with relatively pleasant surroundings—were hospitable places to visit. Each was usually run by an attractive Madam or Manager, “…many of whom I used to stop by and have coffee with,” said Lauren. “Most of my shore patrol calls involved putting down an argument between a girl and her customer. Or I’d be called in to break up a fight between two sailors who happened to fall in love with the same girl.”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story

“Every cathouse downtown was a clean establishment, checked by Navy doctors once every two weeks. The girls were all attractive. Mostly from the States. That made visiting a cathouse a little more like being home, despite being in the middle of the Pacific.” For added security, every cathouse had a bouncer. Usually Hawaiian. Always size Triple-X. Their main job, beside the one implied by their title, was to sit or stand by the door and let sailors and Marines in as others left.”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story

“A “working girls’ hotel,” which is what some called them, was usually on a second floor, with a “big bouncer” always stationed at the bottom step where the line began. “A good romp in the hay would generally set a sailor back between two and three dollars. Believe me… there was an endless line to make payments.” Each house had an alarm system to call Shore Patrol if trouble occurred. And every room had an emergency button to ring a bell if a girl needed help.”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story

“Navy cathouses were easy to spot. They had the longest lines to get in. Even more so during Friday or Saturday afternoons and evenings—at the height of liberty. Often, their lines stretched down an entire block.”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story

“All the good bars were located on Hotel Street, with Canal Street, which intersected Hotel, housing most of the cathouses. Some of the more popular bars gave you tickets with two drink maximums—not minimums— to keep the lines moving.”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story

“The first place we’d hit was Arizona crew’s favorite watering hole—Smith’s Union Bar, 19 Hotel Street—right in the middle of all the action downtown.”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story

“Ironically,” he said, “it all proves the ol’ saying, ‘life’s a circle.’ ‘Cause one of my other assigned jobs in the early days, was to help clean the number four gun turret. And wouldn’t ‘ya know… that’s exactly where I’ll be interred someday, back on my ship with my buddies after I pass from this life to the next.”
― Edward McGrath, Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona - SIGNED Copy - Interactive Edition: Memoir of a Sailor - The Lauren F. Bruner Story