I first met World War II (WWII) veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor Ed Carroll in late 2022. He was referred to me by the Utah Honor Flight program, as I sought a replacement for my father on a tour of Pacific WWII battle sites, a trip originally planned for March 2020. That trip had been planned with Dad for March of 2020, but COVID-19 had canceled the trip, and by the time it was rescheduled for March, 2023, Dad had passed away. Since the trip was already paid for, I started to look for another veteran to take his place.

I was delighted to find Ed. At 98, his mind was sharp, his memory clear, and he was relatively mobile. Not only was he a veteran of the Pacific theater, he was a Pearl Harbor survivor — one of the very few remaining. He had joined the Navy in mid-1941, and at 16 he already knew how to fly, thanks to lessons from a barnstormer pilot who came to Kanosh from time to time. 

He flew to Hawaii in early December, 1941 in a PBY amphibious plane, and was awakened on a Sunday morning by the explosions of the Japanese attack. Someone handed him a rifle and told him to start shooting at the planes. Ed said that some of them came so close to his position he could see the expressions on the pilots’ faces.

I presented Ed with the opportunity to visit the historic Pacific battlefields, including Iwo Jima and sites across the Marianas. These were places where his fellow naval aviators had served during World War II, and Ed was eager to connect with the stories of his comrades. We started the tour with a few days in Hawaii, then flew to Guam, then Saipan and Tinian. All of these were sites of some ferocious battles in WWII, and we visited many of the locations. The trip culminated with a few hours on Iwo Jima, and we were escorted to the top of Mt. Suribachi where the famous flag-raising had taken place. Everywhere we went, Ed was treated with enormous respect, and I even got some help pushing his wheelchair from time to time.

Ed had not served in any of these places, having been sent to New Caledonia, New Hebrides and eventually Guadalcanal, but it was important for him to see where his fellow naval aviators had served. As we traveled, he began to tell me stories about his time in the war.

For example, he and another pilot were flying their PBYs from one island to another. Ed’s plane was carrying 22 men and was overloaded. As they flew, they encountered two Japanese Zeroes and one of them shot at Ed, taking out one of the two engines. They managed to land the plane in the water and spent the next 12 hours there until they were picked up by a rescue ship. Miraculously, all 22 men survived.

Ed told me other stories, some of which not even his family members had heard. He used to fly from New Hebrides to New Caledonia, and while there he’d pick up a fifth of whiskey and take it back to his base. There he would sell it for about three times the purchase price, so our tour manager gave him the nickname “Bootlegger.”

The trip was hugely rewarding for both of us, so much so that we decided to make a return trip to Hawaii last December for the 82nd anniversary commemoration of the Pearl Harbor attack. I had to secure funding for the trip, since it wasn’t paid for this time, but with the help of two sisters we had met on the first trip, plus Ed’s daughter, and my father’s estate, I found the necessary funds. 

We joined another tour group, and once again Ed was treated like a rock star. At the Arizona Memorial he was piped aboard by a Navy midshipman, given a VIP tour of Pearl Harbor, and at the December 7th ceremony he was seated on the front row and greeted by admirals and generals. 

Almost everywhere we went we were met with applause, requests for pictures and handshakes, and occasionally someone would pay for a meal. On Guam I had met John, who invited us to contact him if we made the trip to Hawaii in December, and when I called him, he immediately arranged for special excursions. They included a helicopter ride over Pearl Harbor, a glider ride, and visits to military bases not normally open to civilians. 

We finished the day with Ed riding a Corvette in a parade down Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki as I walked behind the car for 1 1⁄2 miles. The crowds lining the street were enormous! People came to the ‘Vette to take his picture and thank him for his service.

It was a memorable and rewarding trip, and Ed was really looking forward to repeating it this coming December. Sadly, Ed passed away unexpectedly in February, just after his 99th birthday. He was honored in Kanosh, Utah, with a service that included the American Legion, Patriot Guard, and Utah Honor Flight representatives, paying tribute to one of the last heroes of the Pacific Theater of WWII.

Feature Image from Adobe Stock.