"On December 5, 1941, Chicago led a task force built around the carrier Lexington to Midway Island, at the western end of the Hawaiian Islands, about 1,000 miles from Pearl Harbor."

"My observations of Japanese naval fighting men, their abilities and equipment led me to believe that they gave a better account of themselves than we did."

"A chief petty officer taught me shorthand, which got me promoted to yeoman first class."

"Our task force put to sea in early January 1942, to attack the Japanese in the Marshall and Gilbert islands, but the mission was called off on the eve of the attack."

"Everybody knew that I could type pretty well."

"My assignment was in the communications office, where I typed out dispatches."

"Chicago's buoy was a couple of hundred yards astern of Arizona, and I was saddened to look at her."

"I received my parents' permission and went into the Navy on June 3, 1941."

"Another nice thing was that I would type out letters home for the admiral's stewards. They would then feed me the same food the admiral ate."

"We made air attacks on the Japanese anchorage, sinking and damaging several vessels. However, the Japanese were alerted to the fact that American carriers were nearby."

"The Japanese invaded Tulagi, in the Solomon Islands, on May 4."

"You could tell that America was gearing up for war."

"I was assigned to the heavy cruiser Chicago."

"The good news was that Enterprise and the newly arrived Yorktown had attacked the Marshall and Gilbert islands. Those attacks had a great effect on morale."

"In basic training we had been told to watch out for Japanese spies."

"After the Battle of Midway there was a week in a rest camp at Pearl Harbor."

"If it's free, it's advice; if you pay for it, it's counseling; if you can use either one, it's a miracle."