Jeanne C. Vlach is the wife of Vincent (Jim) Vlach.
This is her story.

On 2 April 1941, one month after Jim and I were married, President Roosevelt ordered most of the Pacific Fleet to conduct exercises in the Hawaiian area. This was in response to aggressive moves by Japan. It was supposed to be a six week exercise but was extended to six months, at which time the ship (USS ARIZONA) would return to its home port of San Pedro, California for a few days and then go north to Bremerton, Washington for repairs. This became the pattern - about six months in the Hawaiian operating area and a short trip back to the mainland.

Transport at government expense to Honolulu was not authorized for battleship dependents since the home port had not been changed as it had for some cruisers. We became tired of the long separation and in August 1941 decided that I should pay my way to Honolulu even though the ship would probably return to the mainland in December.

A few days after I arrived, Jim found an apartment complex under construction on Cleghorn Ave. in the Waikiki area. The Chinese owner said we could have an apartment when construction was finished if we would paint the inside, which we did. Word got around on this apartment and several others from the ship moved to that location. One, Edith Crothers, wife of BM1c Lee R. Crothers arrived 5 December 1941 and a welcoming party was held for her on the evening of 6 December. Others at that complex were the Ralph Fowlers BM1c and the Everett Reids MM1c who observed his 24th birthday 6 December 1941. The Howard Watsons BM1c lived about one block from that complex.

The next morning, 7 December 1941, was a beautiful day, the type the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce likes to brag about. About 0800, the wife of a Chief who lived next door banged on our door hollering, "Turn on your radio; the Japanese are attacking Pearl Harbor and all military are to return to their duty stations!" I prepared an egg sandwich while Jim changed to his uniform. It took until a little past 0900 before they arrived at Pearl Harbor. By that time, they were abandoning the USS ARIZONA. It had been mortally wounded by a bomb which hit near Turret II and penetrated to a magazine which caused the destruction of the ship.

There were many explosions in the Waikiki area. Erroneous reports were made indicating the area was being bombed by the Japanese. It was later determined that those explosions were our ordnance exploding on ground contact. Fuses had not been set.

Governor Poindexter of the Territory of Hawaii issued a proclamation putting the M Day Act into effect. Military censorship, gasoline rationing, blackouts, closing of food stores for inventories, rent control and other wartime measures went into effect. Headlamps of cars and trucks were painted over except for a small slit in the center of the lamp. Gas masks were issued. Cement reinforced igloo type bomb shelters were rapidly constructed and assigned. Rationing books were issued with stamps for gas, meat, sugar, coffee and other items. Coiled barbed wire barricades were installed at strategic locations.

The night of 7 December was especially scary. Shortly before 2100 hrs., six of our ENTERPRISE planes attempted to land at Ford Island. Our AA gunners were tense and about every gun opened fire resulting in the loss of four of our planes and three of our pilots with the other two planes damaged. Rumors were rampant which added to our tension.

We dependents holed up most of the time in one apartment. We would duck alongside puny beds when sirens or explosions were heard. We pooled food and other resources. My ARIZONA friends were gradually evacuated to the mainland.

In January, I was rushed to Queens hospital suffering from loss of blood due to a tubal pregnancy. The premature baby was lost. Edith Crothers was still at our complex; she had the same blood type and gave a direct transfusion. Word was passed at Pearl Harbor Receiving Station for blood donors for the wife of an ARIZONA sailor. Many answered that call and the blood bank was built up.

Upon recovery, I took a job with Army Censorship so I could remain on the Island of Oahu. Jim had been assigned to close out the sunken ARIZONA. Later the Navy assigned those with dependents on the island to Navy housing, at which time I took a job with the Navy at Pearl Harbor. I remained on that until about October 1943 when Jim was reassigned to the USS GAMBIER BAY (CVE 73). Shortly before that I returned to the mainland.

After the war, I accompanied Jim to duty stations in Washington, DC (where I was employed for awhile at Agriculture and later the Air Force), Guam, Marianas Islands, Key West Florida and back to Hawaii for his last duty station in 1958-60. While he was assigned to Amphibious ships prior to the 58-60 tour, we lived for the main part in Chula Vista, California.

After Jim's retirement from the Navy in 1960, he took a job with North American Aviation (later merged with Rockwell) and we resided in Bellflower and Anaheim, California. We now live in a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in Riverside, California. I am in the Assisted Living Unit (ALU) of that CCRC.

Webmaster's note: Jeanne Vlach has since passed away in 2001. We are forever grateful that she took the time to add her story. So seldom do you find the story of Pearl Harbor told from a woman's point of view.

U.S. Veterans Gravesites Information:
Name: Jeanne Claire Vlach
Birth Date: 16 Mar 1916
Death Date: 17 Sep 2001
Relation: Wife of Vlach, Vincent J Jr
Interment Date: 20 Sep 2001
Cemetery: Riverside National Cemetery
Cemetery Address: 22495 Van Buren Boulevard Riverside, CA 92518
Buried At: Section 47 Site 4084

Genealogical Library Master Catalog
Author: Vlach, Jeanne Claire Norton. Norton, Arlene. Our Norton family story.
Title: My Norton family tree / prepared by Jeanne Claire (Norton) Vlach
Library: New York State Library
Subject: Norton family.
Publisher: Anaheim, CA : J.C. Vlach, 1990.
Format: 31 p. : ill., ports. ; 28 cm.
Call Number: R 929.2 qN889 90-40655 R-REF
Notes: Cover title.
"Chapters I through IV and Appendix I ... were reproduced from the book 'Our Norton family story' prepared by genealogist Arlene Norton in 1984."

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