Marine Mal Middlesworth is exactly where he wanted to be on December 7, 1941

USS San Francisco CA-38

I had the 8 to 12 noon watch on the morning of December 7, 1941. That meant our duty watch would raise the flag on the fantail (rear) of the ship precisely at 8:00 a.m.

I was on my way from the Marine quarters to the fantail when the attack started. As I walked across the well deck I heard several loud explosions on Ford Island and saw what I thought were "dummy bombs" from a exercise. Looked dangerous and realistic to me as I proceeded through the observation planes hanger and out the hatch to the fantail. As I opened the hatch I saw a Japanese torpedo about 30 feet away heading for battleship row. The machine gunner in the rear of the plane was spraying bullets on the fantail as I headed toward the flag pole and realized this was no practice.

Really can't remember when we raised colors, but I'm certain it was not at 8:00. With only a .45 for a weapon, I kept it in the holster and watched one of most significant events of the 20th Century from a front row seat. We had neither ammunition or fuel as we were in the harbor for major upgrading.

On this day in history I was exactly where I wanted to be. This is why I joined the Marines.

That night I was called to Captain Henderson's room for orders. The Marine Detachment's C.O. told me to take a message from the ship to the Pearl Harbor Marine Barracks. I don't know why he chose me for this assignment. I was the smallest and youngest Marine on the ship. He either thought I was the fastest runner or most expendable in the detachment, as I had just come onboard in October.

This would be the first and only order I would ever question. I simply asked the Captain how far did he think I would make it. Everyone was shooting at anything that moved and other things that weren't even moving. He looked at me for a few seconds and replied, "You're probably right. I'll get the message sent some other way." I was on the this heavy cruiser for 28 months while its crew accumulated 13 major battle stars, 4 Congressional Medals of Honor, the first Presidential Unit Citation, and many other citations starting with the sea battles of the Guadalcanal campaign. Admiral Bull Halsey gave my Purple Heart.