Birth Place: Texas? - Death Place: Temple, Bell, Texas - Parents: william Henry

Clay, 360 25 45, enlisted in the Navy on 6 November 1940 at Houston. He reported on board the Arizona 26 January 1941 at Long Beach after completion of training at NTS, San Diego and was assigned to the 6th Division. The Arizona had just returned from the Bremerton Navy Yard.

Clay was a bow hook in the No. 2 motor boat. On the morning of 7 December 1941, he and the Lakin brothers were shining the bright work. They had an 0805 trip. The Coxswain was Douglas C. Moore. They heard a loud explosion on Ford Island and a plane came over, very low so they headed for their battle stations. Clay's GQ station was AA magazine second platform below third deck. Clarendon R. Hetrick, survivor, a hoistman and others were also at this battle station. The Lakins were KIA and their bodies recovered. Donald Lakin is buried at grave D10; his brother Joseph is nearby at D32, Punchbowl. Douglas Moore was also KIA and his body was not recovered.

Clay helped rig a conveyor on the third deck to receive ammunition from the magazine. Since he was a hoistman he started a roundup when the ship took its first hit. The explosion knocked the ship's lights out except the blue battle lights and sent him reeling. As he reached for the crank to crank up the ammo, the second explosion came. That sent him against the bulkhead and then on the apron of the hoist. He picked himself up again after another explosion; the metal was very, very hot and he had difficulty breathing. Someone said, "Let's get out of here!"

Someone helped him up the ladder on the bulkhead. When they got to the third deck, some asked if he could make it. He took the first step on the ladder and does not remember anything until he stepped out on the port quarterdeck. Clarendon helped him through the hatch. He went through officer's country enroute. The Japanese were machine-gunning the quarterdeck; a lot of men were under turrets for protection. Others were on fire and were rolling on the deck to try and put the fire out.

Clay was dazed from the explosions. Some Corpsmen from the hospital ship, SOLACE, were taking men off. Clay started for the boat deck but things were all ablaze so he went to the starboard side. A tug was alongside trying to put out the fire but could not get up enough water pressure so they started picking up survivors.

Clay followed a Marine Sergeant down the gangway toward the F7 quay (key). He fell and others helped him back to his feet. The mooring lines were popping and cracking so they moved down on a boat landing so the lines would not cut them in half if they broke. He then was pulled on board the tug where he fell on deck; the tug took them to 1010 dock and he was then taken to one of the several Naval Hospital huts which each had four or five beds. A nurse gave him a shot to ease the pain. A doctor came and wanted to know who had shots. The nurses were not sure do he got another shot. This time they put a cross on foreheads.

Clay was in a bed in front of a window. During the second wave, there was an explosion not too far from the hospital. The window panes shattered over his bed. They brushed the glass off his forehead and told him to keep his eyes shut. The nurse and Corpsman removed the glass covered sheets and covered him with clean ones. On the morning of 9 December 1941 they took x-rays and placed him in a ward in the hospital. Clay can't remember when his speech trouble started. His right shoulder and right hip were busted up and he had an injury to his knee and right ankle. Also, he suffered slight burns on his hands, legs and face. The x-rays revealed the broken hip.

Clay was then transferred, on 18 December 1941, to the USAT COOLIDGE which arrived in the Bay Area on Christmas Day. They were put on a barge and taken to the Mare Island Naval Hospital. Something was wrong with his speech by then. He could not talk for three or four months. The doctors thought he had been gassed; they took his life's history and gave him a bowl of soup.

After many x-rays, a fluoroscope was given which showed he had a paralyzed diaphragm. The Corpsman set up two gallon jugs, one half full of water with a tube running so that when he blew in one tube, it forced water in the other jug. As he remembers, this was four or five times a day and continued for a long time. About March 1st, he got out of bed and had lost 43 pounds. He was transferred abut the middle of March 1942 to the Corona, CA Naval Hospital and was one of the first 33 patients there.

After additional treatment, he was given a medical discharge on 8 July 1942 and went back to his hometown of Wesloco, TX. In September he visited his brother and sister in Houston. At their suggestion, he took a job in the Houston shipyard for $0.75/hour as a blueprint takeoff man. Later, he transferred to Gray's shipyard in Galveston doing the same thing for $1.00/hour.

In May 1944, he started training at Galveston to be a dental technician where he kept noticing this attractive brunette. He then went to work for Dr. Gibbs in Mission, TX. After fifteen months, the Veterans Administration assigned him to Temple, TX. On 8 July 1945 he married the attractive brunette, Bernice Hood in Temple, TX. In 1958 his disabilities really took hold; he was given a VA disability discharge on 31 December 1958. He and his wife then opened Clay's Rental Shop and later started doing vacuum cleaner repairs. In 1976 they started selling Fuller Brush products and things were going very well when they found out that Bernice had lymphoma cancer and closed their shop in June 1985. Bernice passed away 28 November 1992. In the years following Clay had 1) triple bypass 4 May 1994; 2) fell 3 May 1997 and was informed by doctors that he could no longer live on his own; 3) had a pacemaker installed 8 October 1998; 4) his speech got worse; 5) jerking and shaking began early 1998; 6) he was in and out of hospitals several times; 7) he's wheelchair bound as of 15 June 2001.

The Musick's son, Richard Clay, retired as a Master Sergeant after 22 years in the Air Force. Clay now resides with his son and family.

(01 June 2004 - Webmaster's Note:
Mr. Musick passed away May 25th at a nursing home in Temple, TX.)

Additional Information
Name: Clay Henry Musick
Relative Name: Mr. William Henry Musick
Relative Relationship: Father
State: Texas
Country: United States
Type of Casualty: Wounded In Action
Roll: ww2c_27

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