‘Man, this is not a drill,’ survivor remembers Pearl Harbor attack
Seventy-four years ago, Howard Bender, 93, was aboard the USS Maryland in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, when he heard the sounds of war.
“I remember it all,” the Laguna Woods resident said. “I was in my office getting ready to do all my reports when I heard something go off.”
Bender went to the porthole window of his office and saw chaos outside.
Patriot Day 2015: Honoring the Fallen First Responders of 9/11 on the battleship IOWA
The bell aboard the USS Iowa in San Pedro chimed after the names of 40 first responders who died during 911 were read during as special ceremony marking the 14th anniversary of the terror attacks in New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania.
Families gather aboard Battleship Iowa in honor of 9/11 victims
People gathered on the Battleship Iowa Friday to honor victims of 9/11 as part of the 14th anniversary of the terror attacks, including a mother and father who lost their son on that fateful day.
Los Angeles Navy Days Concludes
The 18th annual Navy Days Los Angeles concluded Aug. 10 when visiting U.S. Navy ships, the guided-missile cruisers USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) and USS Cape St. George (CG 71), the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) and nearly 1,000 Sailors departed from the Port of Los Angeles.
Marine officer competes on NBC’s ‘American Ninja Warrior’
Capt. Kristin Dalton, a Camp Lejeune, North Carolina-based reservist, competed on an all-military edition of the show, which pits athletes against grueling timed obstacle courses. During the July 7 airing on NBC, active-duty and retired troops scrambled through a new course in San Pedro, California, next to the historic battleship Iowa.
France Gives Nation’s Highest Honor To 19 WWII Veterans In SoCal
The French government is presenting its highest honors to 19 Southern Californians who served in World War II.
On Friday, the French consul general presented the veterans with the rank of knight in the National Order of the Legion of Honor. All of the men are in their 90s.
A consulate spokeswoman said the award is the highest France gives its citizens or foreign nationals.
The veterans received the recognition during a ceremony on board the battleship USS Iowa, which is docked in the Port of Los Angeles.
USS Iowa’s Music Under the Guns series expands in May with high school band lineup
The River Heights School Jazz Band opens a month of music with a May 9 concert at the USS Iowa as part of its Music Under the Guns series. Photo courtesy Jonathan Hartling.
KABC report on the Dream Foundation and the Battleship IOWA making John Bock’s dream come true
KABC report on the Red Cross Veterans History Project on the Battleship IOWA
Battleship IOWA to appear in Japanese Magazine
お元気ですか？ The Battleship IOWA alongside many great ships around the San Pedro and Long Beach area are set to make an appearance in SHIPS OF THE WORLD magazine! The magazine hails from the Land of the Rising Sun, and is an extremely popular publication covering maritime...
Aboard the USS Iowa searching for a charming mutt named Vicky
This mighty battleship, commissioned in the midst of World War II, ferried President Franklin D. Roosevelt across the Atlantic Ocean and back, fought in the Pacific, served as a missile carrier during the Cold War and is now a museum, docked in Los Angeles Harbor. But the story of its mascot, a little dog named Vicky, charms visitors of all ages.
USS Iowa in San Pedro hosts last black survivor of Pearl Harbor attack
The attack at Pearl Harbor sent flames flying all around the USS Jarvis as it bobbed alongside a dock in the shadow of a large warehouse, undamaged by the barrage of torpedoes and bombs descending on the harbor.
As 350 Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft unleashed their fury from above and left smoke, fire and broken ships in their wake, Petty Officer 1st Class Nelson Mitchell sprang to action. His duty, as a black man, was to serve white officers.
Student Organizes Christmas Card Signing for Troops
While many Americans will be spending time with family and enjoying a meal together, the holidays for U.S. troops overseas will be spent away from home.
That fact inspired college student Cesar Olvera, 19, to do something to bring the holiday season to servicemembers across the world. Last year, Olvera was able to get 700 Christmas cards signed by the community and sent to troops overseas.
This year, Olvera is on board the USS Iowa, docked in the LA harbor in San Pedro, and he’s got about 1600 cards signed and ready to be sent to to military men and women.
USS Iowa celebrates Veterans Day, but plans to further expand entertainment value
It’s been nearly quarter of a century since the USS Iowa last saw active duty.
In the battleship’s long tour of duty, it played a crucial role in World War II, carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt across the Atlantic and undertook several humanitarian missions.
Now in retirement, it has a new mission: to double the amount of public events taking place on board and on its grounds and to eventually draw hundreds of thousands more visitors to the Los Angeles waterfront.
