HomeMy WebLinkAboutEdwin Fischer, Brazos Valley Heroes �_ ' *
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While growing up in Covington, Oklahoma in of a gunnery commander on the newly commis
. the 1930's, Edwin Fischer knew there was a big sioned destroyer, the USS Pringle 477. "We called
' world out there that he wanted to see, so in 1940 it the Pringle with a Little Joe and a pair of natu-
when offered an opportunity to "Join the Navy and rals."
see the World," he joined. After its shake down cruise, it headed for the
After basic training he was assigned to the South Pacific where it ran the "Slot" which was a '
battle cruiser USS Detroit, located at Pearl Harbor, natural channel used by the Japanese navy who
Hawaii. On Sunday morning December 7, 1941, he were trying to reinforce their positions.
was eating breakfast with his shipmates when the "The Pringle received 10 battle stars, the
general alarm sounded. most of any destroyer. We were at 'General
"Everyone went to their battle stations but Quarters' half the time, sometimes for 24 hours at 1 '
the ship was covered by canvas awnings to protect a time. After Guam we were sent to Okinawa at a
against the weather so we had to cut and tear it position where two other destroyers had been >k
. down to get to the guns. We had to get the firing sunk by Kamikaze attacks. On April 16, 1945, we
mechanisms cleaned which were covered in were attacked by Kamikazes. Three wee able to get
grease so they could fire. Then when we went to through our air cover. We were able to shoot down
the magazine to get ammunition, it was locked. two of them but the third got through. We were ''°°s
Someone finally broke the lock off, and we finally able to hit him but not enough to stop him. I could
started to fire back at the Japanese planes. We see that guys face just before he hit us. He crashed
shot down two of those planes." into the ship just below the bridge with two 500 lb.
"1 saw the Arizona go down. I saw the Utah bombs. The deck crumpled under me sending me M
go down. I saw the Oklahoma go down. Guys were flying. The ship sank in five minutes. We lost 69 of
. 7 in the water screaming for help. The water was the 325 men on board."
covered in oil and it was burning in some areas. I "After we were rescued, I had to be inter-
saw one of the motor launches loaded with men viewed to see if I would be capable of returning to
attempting to reach their ship hit by a bomb. It was duty and was told I would be back on another
like blowing into a powder box, just dust in the air destroyer soon. They let me go home on a sur
' settling back onto the water, except it was men and vivor leave and when I got home I asked my mom
• their boat." how much money she had been able to save for
•
"The Japanese dropped 6 bombs and fired me, which was $4500. I told her to draw it out
'" two torpedoes at our ship and missed with all of because in less than 30 days I was going back on
them. We were being looked out for. We were the another destroyer and I was going to spend it all
only ship our size able to get underway. We were before I left. I and half the town had quite a party
. one old cruiser sent out to intercept the Japanese on my money. When I reported back, I was '`
fleet, all the time praying that we didn't find them." assigned to shore duty. I had spent all my money
Thereafter, Fischer and the men of the USS and was assigned shore duty. Nothing ever
Detroit were at sea. After the fall of Bataan and worked out like you thought it would in the mili-
Corregidor, they were involved in another unusual tary. ".
situation. After the war, Fisher was in sales and then the
"One night, in the middle of the Pacific, we construction industry in California, eventually
3 met a submarine that was carrying all of the gold, retiring from the civil service with the Corps of
;, silver and paper currency of the Philippines. We Engineers in 1984.
spent most of the night carrying all those gold and Edwin Fischer's name can be found on the
silver bars from the sub to our ship. If you Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial. For more infor
dropped one in that deep area of the ocean, there mation, to make a contribution, or to nominate a
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would be no retrieving it." veteran, contact the BVVM at www.veterans
In 1942 Fischer was assigned to the position memorial.org, or Bill Youngkin at 979 - 260 -7030.
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