If this man, and people just like him with the same courage, the same faith and the same integrity ran our nation, we would have none of the miasmic rot that defines america today.
RIP Sir! Mr. Edgar Harrell died at 96 yrs old on Jan 6, 2020. I can't get over how excellent his memory was at 94. Amazing man that I wish I had known . It took heroes like these men to make our country survive WW11.
@@DC-bp8sx So it was ok for Japan to take the Philippines, parts of China to rape, pillage, cage people, torture them, skin them alive, destroy Pearl Harbor for their quest for the world without stopping them?? You're some kind of intelligent! If someone comes to chop you up with a machete you just going to let them??
@@socketzrapz5039 Do you know how Dangerous floating in the Pacific is for 3 days? Being exposed to hot sun, shark attacks, possible infection, starvation and lack of thirst. You want to be cast in the Pacific on a raft and left to die by shark, salt poisoning or starvation. Show some respect for this Man.
@@MoreTrenMoreMen69 so what if I did not doing so doesn't make me a hero and delivering A FUCKING NUKE! to drop on a large city killing millions also doesn't make me a hero
In 1998 my brother and I went deep sea fishing on a charter boat on South Padre Island. We got on board before dawn and were disappointed to see a group of elderly old men would be sharing the boat with us. After a few hours we realized we were in for an unforgettable experience. Those elderly old men were a group of Marine World War II veterans who got together every year for their reunion. We drank beer with them all day, 12 hours continuous drinking, learned new curse words and heard uncensored horror stories of many Pacific Island battles. Hardcore guys.
@@jaytotheell I vomited after a while, but remained on my feet and kept fishing. Cutting raw bait and drinking at the same time just was not my cup of tea. Those guys seemed unaffected by endless beers, raw bait all over everything and the boat bobbing around every time we stopped. Amazing.
It is an immense honor to hear your story sir. I especially liked the part about to little brunette at home, I’m sooo glad she waited and that you had 71 years.
@@owenwammes4052 ... Most of the survivors of that time are now deceased of natural causes. I do not know where you are getting that they are still well. They are all our country's heros regardless and deserve the ultimate respect.
@@AdamSmith-xt2tg, you can't know that. He may well have PTSD but has gotten into a place where he can control it. It isn't a joke and it can be cumulative. Do some research to understand it better.
@@bcaye It was suppose to be a compliment. I do agree with you that ptsd can be coped better. Whatever the case may be, he was sharp and calm when telling his story. Take it easy.
He was a kind man. Very personable. He greeted my national guard unit with grace and dignity. It was depressing that I was the only one that recognized the significance of the USS Indianapolis on his jacket. By golly they knew after I introduced them.
5/9/2022 I had lunch with one of the two remaining survivors. He's my uncle in law. My wife and I drove my mother in law to visit him on her birthday. It was a special moment. Cleatus Lebow, 97 years old. He's a character. I have a deep voice so he can't hear me speak. That doesn't keep him from carrying a conversation, he's a talker. Rest in peace Mr. Harrell, mad respect.
Thank you for mentioning this. I just chastised the Milw Journal Sentinel, supposedly a major paper; for not even doing the basic research to know that Edgar Harrell was not the 'lone survivor' 4 years ago - Harold Bray of California is still alive today on 8/3/2023 so he IS the lone survivor, and your uncle Cleatus Lebow, was alive then (sorry for your loss), and there may have been others - I asked the J/S to do their research and correct their title as it is disrespectful to Mr. Bray, Mr. Lebow and perhaps others.
Wow! I read this comment and the name Lebow sounded familiar. He’s often mentioned in a book I’m currently reading called “Indianapolis”. I checked the index and sure enough I see Cleatus LeBow.
Just watched the movie. Breaks my heart to know they were being picked off by sharks. Must have been so terrifying to be out there. Such brave men. I truly appreciate their sacrifice. With their loss, we gained freedom. I will never forget that, ever!
the Navy's dealings with this tragedy is a disgrace. It reminds me of the disgraceful mismanagement that was the Pat Tillman tragedy. God bless the men that served aboard the USS Indianapolis
I'm a daughter of a veteran Vietnam soldier and of course my dad is still alive. I have a huge respect to Military and anybody who had to fight for wars for the last century. Whoever did this interview, thank you for doing this. Also I watched the movie, USS Indianapolis & it was really amazing. If I ever see a survivor of USS Indianapolis, I would give him my big hug & I would tell him u r still here bc of ur courage & ur family appreciate you. This is amazing story. Salute & thank u for your courage & for service for this country. Amen!
@@gabriellowe9929 , Fun Fact, the children and grandchildren of men from the opposite side of the conflict watch these RU-vid videos too. They don't think too much about it, except for being happy for American soldiers and sailors who could return to their families and country. While they had to live with murdered family members and a devastated country. Ironically, the Indianapolis shipped the bomb, which vaporised the family of the commander and sailors of the submarine that torped the cruiser. Wondering if that thought will ever sink in.
Zein Saeed Yeah? I’ve had buddies I served with not come back, and I’ve seen my fair share in Afghanistan. I was an 11B, bud. You want to talk high and mighty about stuff? What have you seen or been through in any sense related to combat? Ever been shot at? No?
@@gabriellowe9929 , nothing Sir. Just talking sh** to start a food fight. My Father served in the Army though. He oversaw one of the Mujahideen training camps the CIA was secretly funding to shoot down Soviet aviation. All the while the Soviets were building a Steel Industry and Shipping ports in the country. In one encounter with a Soviet construction team of the steel mill, the Soviets remarked something along the lines of: We know you are directly involved in training our enemies and causing instability to the mission of our country. Yet we will continue to build your industry because ... [can't recall but was about friendship or honour something like that]. Now I'm not taking sides here, but in hindsight the buddies you lost is wake from the boulder shoved off the cliff. So the high and mighty I want to talk about is my Father pulling me out of the Army, to be not told to shut up, shoot first, and become Demolition Man. Instead I spent time working on creating jobs that employs people from all over the world. Because at the end of the day once a house runs of money, it becomes a house of cards. No disrespect. Want to hear what you have to say.
Zein Saeed Sorry, I flew off the handle. Apologies for being a dick, I took your first reply wrong and lashed out. You did good choosing your path, and I respect your decision. You take care of yourself.
The more and more I listen to this story in this interview. The more I am so blessed that I got to read about the USS Indianapolis in the comfort of my own home. We all think that we are tough and we're ready to go. The real heroes were the courageous ones and never giving up hope with the conditions with everything else especially the sharks but there was a certain brunette and 71 years later waiting for this gentleman when he got back home. Thank you for being there and sharing that story.
What an amazing story. Both my grandfathers fought in the war, but neither of them was ever willing to recount their experiences in any detail. Sadly, they've both passed.
Amazing. Because of this brave Marine each and every one of us are able to place our head on our pillow at night and sleep peacefully. Thank you with all my heart and soul for your service to this great country of ours.
yeah and this generation has been brain washed into absolute stupidity..If this was the generation that had to fight either WW1 or WW2 there would be no American..
My great uncle was lost at sea on the Indianapolis, Francis (Frank) McKinnon, 19 years old. He was my sweet great grandmother’s baby, the youngest child of 6, and my mom’s favorite uncle. So thankful the wreckage was located.
@@isa9ja what does this have to do with „she knows him more than i do“? just because i dont know him i can not have an opinion on that interview? i watched it again. and it sounds like she rushed through the questions, reading of a piece of paper. i just think she could have a little more compasion and empathy 🤷🏼♀️ you can speak loud and clear and still have a little more empathy. sorry, its my opinion that she sounded not really warm and welcoming 🤷🏼♀️
What a treat! I could sit and listen to his story telling all day. He is indeed, sharp as a tack! I hope to be that lively if I make it to 94 years of age. Thank you for your service, sir. You are truly a hero!
I just love this man so much. He tells the story so well. "God bless you sir, thank you for your bravery and service for our country. I am SO SORRY for that HORRIBLE nightmare you and your buddies had to live through." ❤🇺🇸❤🇺🇸
Jade Alyx oh stfu screw that they deserve more then thanks! They were set up by their own government on a suicidal mission! In the end charge their captain with false charges!! Save the Bs that flag flys low for the people who took part in that! They had no chance of survival! Bs
@@hermanhester9841 But thank God that bomb was delivered safely! Imagine the catastrophic effect a failure of that mission would have had on Hiroshimas tourism business over the past 60 or so years! Sometimes we must accept minor sacrifices as necessairy bumps in the road to success, right? Not everyone can be a winner and some people make bad choices. Going aboard that ship obviously was one of them.That free ride at the taxpayers expense via the military sometimes leads to shitty places. Some people will only learn their lesson the hard way.
Oh what I’d give to have had a better interviewer handling this ultra-rare opportunity to speak with this survivor. I pray there’s a lot more footage of this ... it’s all SO RUSHED. Granted, I don’t know the circumstances of the interview, but compressing this into under 9 minutes is painful.
I agree with Jason, there's a lot more out there if you really want to know, but some of it you may wish you'd never known. Those men went to hell and back.
My uncle, Paul Mcginnis was on board and was also one of the lucky 317 that survived! I have so much love and respect for all of you ! This is part of my families history as well, as it is for so many other Americans! Sadly my uncle passed away and unlike others I never spoke with him about his ordeal and now that he's passed I regret it of coarse but unfortunately I can't change that now!
@@joshuaallen5461 I avoided bringing it up with him because when he was around everyone hounded him and I wanted to give him a break! He has now passed away! So the only thing I have left is my memory and there is a short vidio clip of him on RU-vid!
Eric McGinnis sorry to here that I’m currently in the navy so this is really big to me. Sorry for what your uncle had to endure I can’t even half way imagine how hard those days were.
@@joshuaallen5461 well it was the 316 or 317 survivors that then lived on so in my oppinion they were Lucky but 880 soles perished and later captain Mcvey got railroaded so the big zigs wouldn't take the blame and be held liable and Captain Mcvey took his own life! Sad story! But thanks for your interest and your comments! Being in the Navy is a great career choice so you hang in there and in the future you will never regret it. I promise!
As a USMC Veteran, I wasn't even aware of this Man and his fellow Marines, or their involvement with the sinking of the Indy. Amazing what merely scrolling around EweTube can bring! R.I.P. Sgt.! You were indeed part of the 'Greatest Generation!'
My Grandfather was a merchant marine during WW2. He was onboard The City of Atlanta merchant ship that was torpedoed by a German Uboat of the coast of North Carolina. He was one of two survivors of a crew of 45. He never talked about it much. Many years later i was at my friends house after a long day of fishing. I relayed this story and his roommate said wait a minute. He came back with a book he was reading call operation drum beat. It was an account omfrom the uboat commander and thier mission to disrupt shipping during the war. We skimmed thru it and sure enough , there was a picture of my grandfather in his hispital bed next to the other survivor. He was holding a picture of my grandmother he had gone back to his bunk to save the picture while the ship was sinking. The picture in the book had made the cover of i believe life magazine that year. Many sacrifices during that war.
amazing. bc of the news blackouts at the time people don't appreciate how badly the uboats were running rampant then in '41 and '42, having free reign up and down the east coast of the U.S and the Gulf of Mexico. people could see ships ablaze from the beaches of the Outer Banks! lots of places on the coast still have the old gun emplacements that were in use during that time.
God Bless You Edgar!! My paternal grandmother's brother was on the U.S.S. Indianapolis and when he saw the scene in Jaws while watching it with us one night, he got up and walked out from watching the movie. Afterwards, we were sitting in the kitchen and he described exactly what happened. I didn't blame him for getting up and leaving. He was lucky to even have survived. He died 8 days after his 58th birthday on the same day as his 97 year old mother in the VA Hospital in Brooklyn New York on 16 May 1981 from Lung and Brain Cancer. I"ll always remember him the night he described the horror of the U.S.S. Indianapolis more than any other time I saw him. We all listened in silence and after he finished we said nothing. It was a nightmare for which he got a medal.
Happy Memorial Day Sgt. Edgar Harrell thank you for your service you are a hero this world needs more people like this man it would be a more peaceful place to live
after so many years he still remembers every detail.....jeezus he must have been thinking about it for 60 years...makes me want to cry....he cared so much about his brothers
God bless you sir! Your a true hero! I'm so glad you had a long life with your gal! I'm a navy vet but didn't even come close to what you did! Your generation gave us freedom! 🇺🇸
Lord so neat he was able to tell his story at 94 years, we lose so much of history when we lose our older people. They are a wealth of historical knowledge.
I saw and talked with you in a gun shop in DC, sir. You told me that why the ship went down so fast was because it was a hot day and the doors were all open due to no air conditioning. I was in the Air Force at the time. I salute you, sir.
El Miguel ... Have you read the book/audiobook of “In Harm’s Way,” by Doug Stanton?? If you haven’t, I guarantee you’ll feel lucky to have found such a great, highly detailed look into the entire event. 👍
Horrifying. What a story and what a man! So much respect for his generation. My grandpa served in ww2 in the Navy and he just turned 103 so he must have been a bit older I never asked him about the war but I should.
I was born in ‘70 and I never knew my grandparents. I always wish I had a papa to tell me stories and guide me through life. It’s one of my biggest regrets in life.
Just something about these old elders who fought in ww2 ,Korean, nam that just have class and integrity about themselves especially ww2 veterans, God Bless these Gran Ol Veterans
Millenials are up to 40 in age now, thousands of them have fought in the last 20 years of non stop wars, check your fire before you put your foot in your mouth…
