December 7th marks the 76th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. In 2011, Dan Rather traveled to Hawaii to interview some of the survivors of the attack. They spoke to him about the horror, panic, and confusion upon the unforgettable sight of the USS Arizona engulfed in flames: “the only light that we had on the whole island of Oahu”, as survivor Sterling Cale put it.
Herb Weatherwax, one of the men featured in this clip, passed away in 2016 at the age of 99. As the years wear on, fewer men and women who lived through the attack will be able to tell us these stories. This clip is a reminder that their accounts about that infamous day in American history are invaluable.