WHAT HAPPENED TO PEARL HARBOR'S DEAD? 

Because of the identification processes my great, great uncle returned home on 08/17/2018 Private First Class Robert Holmes

As always, Caitlin handled a sensitive subject with respect. As a veteran, I would like to point out that one of the reasons some rescues could not be made was because they didn't have the tools at that time to reach some of the trapped crewmembers. You mentioned that they could hear tapping for 16 days until they died, but imagine the anguish of the men on the other side who had no way to reach their crewmates. I just wanted to point out that it wasn't necessarily due to callousness or insensitivity that some of these men were not rescued. Thank you for this video.

My grandfather was on watch. Ended overboard! He never talked much about it. He raised me. I'm 68 today. I miss him! He was a gift to myself and brother.

My mom took care of a Pearl Survivor until his passing a few years ago. Nelson Holman was on the USS Arizona and saved a bunch of lives. He still had shrapnel in his legs and earned 2 Purple Hearts. He was like family to us. RIP

My Grandad was a survivor. I didn't know until he was in his late 70s. He had a limp but I never questioned why. One day I asked my mother why grandad limped. She and my grandmother confirmed that he was badly injured when the ship he was on was listing and a piece of unsecured machinery slid across the deck, crushing his leg and hip. He recovered and lived the rest of his life on the family cattle ranch with a limp. Never talked about it to anyone as far as I know but interestingly enough a bunch of men showed up to his funeral that I had never met. They didn't mingle too much but paid respect to my grandmother and left. I suspect they were men he had served with.

My great grandfather (who is still alive today) was in the military, and survived Pearl Harbor

As a military historian, your accuracy and respectfulness to the topic is awesome. You definitely did your research, as always thank you for another awesome video. And of course, May the dead who died in war celebrate in Valhalla

There's a pretty good book called "Decent into Darkness: Pear Harbor, 1941- A Diver's Memoir" by Edward C. Raymer. The author was a U.S. Navy hard hat diver who was flown from San Diego to Pearl Harbor immediately after the attack, in order to explore the outside and sometimes the inside of the sunken ships; including the Arizona and Utah, to determine if they could be salvaged, recover valuable war materiel and eventually help raise those ships which could be fully salvaged. Going inside a vessel meant having to memorize the ship's blueprints because all of the diver's work was performed in complete darkness. There was a thick layer of oil on the water which blocked all light from above. Mr. Raymer described entering the Arizona from the top deck and dropping into the deck below in order to reach the anti-aircraft ammunition locker. His first problem was that while walking down a corridor in complete darkness; he couldn't even see the inside of his face plate, he kept bumping into dead bodies or parts of dead bodies. This made keeping count of the number of steps he was taking; which was necessary to keep a mental picture of where he was within the ship, impossible. So the job turned into body recovery which took several hours in that one corridor, before he could even start to recover the ammunition. Recovering the bodies wasn't easy either. He couldn't see the bodies, so all of this work had to be done by feel. There was no safe or practical way for the divers to penetrate very deep within these sunken ships; what these hard hat divers did was dangerous enough, so there was no thought of trying recover all of the bodies while these ships were still underwater.

I heard someone say, we die twice. First, our physical death, and second, the last time our name is spoken. These dead deserve to have their names spoken.

I went to pearl harbor as a teenager on a family vacation and we met a veteran while there. He told us in explicit detail everything that he remembered from that day. It was heartbreaking to hear. He then told us that he's made the decision to be cremated and his urn will be placed into the Arizona he told us "I will rest with my brothers" 😭

While I know that part of your presentation is from the morticians point of view, I can hear it in your voice that you ACTUALLY care about our fallen sailors there in Hawaii. And for that alone, you have my deepest respect. It just makes me appreciate you even more Caitlin!

As a Japanese Gen Z, it saddens me to know all these stories. And they are also graphic reminders of what war brings on.

My father in law was a Pearl Harbor Survior... He didn’t talk about it much, but ALWAYS watched any documentary or anything involved with the attack- He was always “featured” in our small town Labor Day Parades with a small group of survivors- ultimately being the last one prior to his death 6 years ago- He had permanent hearing loss from having to fire a 50 Caliber gun at the Japanese for almost two hours- When he chose to stop going to dialysis - which ultimately ended his life 12 days later- he said, “ I am not afraid to go, I saw my friends Floating in the Pacific Ocean at Pearl Harbor when we were kids, I get the honor of choosing the way I leave this earth- those boys didn’t... and I got to live. Those boys didn’t. “ My point being- although he did not speak about the attack, it is obvious it made a major impact on his life and he never forgot about those who so suddenly lost their lives that day... Rest In Peace.

My heart aches for the 3 young men who were trapped for all those days..

I love how respectful she is about these topics. She applies a sense of humor, but does not over do it. It’s beautiful.

Ah, would you look at that. I'm years late AGAIN. Anyways, my great-grandfather was at Pearl Harbor. He was only 17 at the time and would be scarred for life. He saved a couple of people from his sinking ship, not sure which one, and would never set foot on a plane again. Funny enough, he went to all but one battles that involved the Navy. Afterwards, though, he would become afraid of Japanese people. He would never say this up-front, but I remember my Great-Grandmother mentioning it while we were making cookies. It's really sad for my family to talk about this because he died of something that was contributed to Pearl Harbor. I'm sorry I don't know all the details, as I was only 4ish at the time when he died. EDIT: I think it was the Arizona, because he did say he was sleeping when they were struck, but I'm not 100 percent positive.

We just got our great Uncle Home this Memorial Day. WT2 Edgar Gross. He died while serving on the USS Oklahoma. The Navy identified his remains back late last year.

My grandfather was in the Marines for WW2. He was on a ship for years and eventually developed a severe infection in his brain and damage which was thought to be from the heavy rattling of machine guns. He was put into a psych hospital in Australia because they didn’t figure out the infection until later. Then a German doctor figured out what was wrong with him and 13 brain surgeries later he was himself again and sent home. While this was happening to him his ship was attacked and went down to the bottom of the ocean. It’s crazy to think that if it wasn’t for his brain injury, my whole family wouldn’t exist. He would recall this story with a tear in his eye because he lost his fellow Marines/friends. He passed in 2004, but I like to keep his amazing stories alive. Thanks for reading if you stuck with this comment til the end.

Now that we've reached the end of 2020, I would love to know how much progress the military has made in identifying the remains from the USS Oklahoma

You are smart, intelligent, professional who takes a “tough subject” and makes it entertaining and easy to understand. And with total respect you are “easy on the eyes!

I can’t even imagine how terrifying it must have been to have been trapped in those sinking ships, knowing that you were just waiting to die, no way of getting out. Truly horrific. 🖤

I would be very interested in a WW2 series. My grandfather was a Canadian solider in the war and his childhood friend died in his arms during a battle in Holland. It took him nearly his whole life to talk about what the war was like.

As a history buff and major fan of you, I would love more WW II videos.

My dad was stationed at Fort Shafter and living in Hawaii . I remember visiting this memorial as a child back in the early 1970’s. Much Respect, Peace and Aloha to these brave souls.

I AM INTERESTED IN YOU CONTINUING THIS AS A SERIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

We got the remains of my great grandfather late last year from the uss ok.. well abt 10% of him. I didn’t know him but I attended his proper funeral at Arlington.

Great stuff Cait. A Navy vet myself, you want so much for those that didn't get out, to be remembered. When our Lord comes back, I'm sure that they will be removed. He knows who they all are.

I hope you do the Japanese POW's and what happened to their bodies as i have my oldest brother and sister buried there, my mother made it back...Attu, Alaska native here...

My son-in-law's relative, Thomas Ewing Crowley, was the ship's dentist on the USS Arizona and died in the attack. My son-in-law is a diver for the Army and is currently stationed at Pearl Harbor.

I am totally down for a WWII series!!

Sending those boys home is money well spent. My deepest respect and sympathy to them and their Families.

When you discuss the prospect of this becoming a series, I get excited. I Immediately realize that I have some kind of morbid fascination. Learning is fun.

My Great Uncle was stationed at Pearl Harbor and was off his ship (the Arizona) on leave in the island. Him and his buddies ran to the shore right after the attacks and they pulled so many men out of the water who were covered in gasoline on fire. My Uncle suffered 3rd degree burns on his upper body and arms putting them out. It was so horrific he refused to ever speak about it. God bless those that lost their lives that day, and those that help the ones that were in peril.

My God, the fact that they banged on the haul for 16 day. That's just horrifying. Yes I would like this as a series.

I have watched this video before but needed some time to articulate my thoughts on it. First of all, I am glad to see this topic covered by someone who grew up on Oahu who took pains to cover it with sensitivity and dignity. I grew up minutes away from the Arizona Memorial and visited it for the first time this past year, and when I went there the silence with which visitors are asked to respect the site was quite poignant. My grandmother was roughly the same age I am now when the attack occurred, and she told me that she climbed up to the top of the roof of the house she was living in at the time with her family in order to see what was going on. The entire horizon was a line of black smoke, it was all she could see. At roughly the same time, two of her brothers were shot at while out on the street by an Imperial fighter plane. I've always wondered if that pilot shot at them because they were there, or because he could see that they were Japanese. He missed them and they were not injured, yet members from both sides of my family still got caught up in the aftermath--I have relatives who are buried in Punchbowl that I cannot visit this Memorial Day because of the pandemic. I have always wondered what became of those that died aboard those ships, and it's thanks to this video that I finally have answers. I have seen a lot of other content about the same event tend to focus on the strategy, or the broader effects of it, not on those who got caught inbetween; even worse are the comments on other WWII videos that start to play the blame game for things that happened in the past. This is the closest you can get to a respectful, well-considered and non-finger-pointing perspective that's related to December 7 without visiting the site and its associated museums. Tl;Dr, thank you Caitlin! To anyone else who actually reads my nattering and wants to visit though, please wait until the pandemic is over and the State of Hawaii stops mandating a 14-day quarantine for out-of-state visitors. We've already had our fair share of tourists breaking quarantine for their own interests, thanks not so much. I'm just here spending my lockdown going through my favorite channels' uploads, 10/10 do recommend!

My grandparents lived in Hawaii, so I went to Pearl City, Pearl harbour, punch bowl and diamond head. However, my grandpa was a British vet, survivor of D-day. I've had the honour of reading his memoirs. Please do a series on those lost in WW2, maybe also WW1. Lest we forget.

My dad survived WWII and Korea and he has some very sad stories about this topic . He never spoke of them until recently . He is in his 90s now . He speaks of these things with a sad , faraway look in his eyes. It makes me cry.

Knowing your fear of underwater caves, it must have been quite difficult to research for and then present this video. You handled it very well.

Yes! I love war history. Please continue with WWII, WWI, The Civil War. I'd love to see more.

I had a student, former US Marine bandsman in Hawaii. He played taps over the recovered remains of Marines lost on Tarawa. I could hardly choke back the tears when he told me the story..

I know there was a USS Oklahoma veteran that was on the ship was just returned back to my hometown (a little town in South Dakota) after 77 years. He was freshly married and had a son that he never got to meet. He was a farmer as well. We also had a memorial and there was a lot of press coverage from local news stations too

Yes, definitely a series! Oh, and young Caitlyn is ridiculously cute.

My Grandmother who lived in Oahu during the bombing says she saw the planes drop the torpedo that blew up the Arizona. (She lived 30 min away)

My father was stationed in Hawai'i on a submarine when I was a little girl. Visiting the memorial and looking down into the water at the Arizona made me feel sick in my stomach - I definitely realized many of them were still down there.

Bodies in the USS Arizona and USS Utah are unrecoverable That is why it is also Considered a National cemetery. During all attempts to recover the bodies, it resulted in the deaths of additional sailors. The remains as they lay are at rest and protected as well as honored. The cost in lives to reclaim the remains is to high. "Lest we forget." Rest In Peace.

Definitely worth doing a series

as a vet who had the honor of raising the flag over the Arizona and knowing of families who have NEVER found their dead I would really find it a blessing to have you / others continue the search - thank you

This is my favorite series you do. I'm re watching all of them, and hope will continue to do more of these!

The captain and the dentist of the ship gave their own lifes for their comrades. I have no words for such compassion and bravery.

16 days.... 16 god damn days of agony. That’s two weeks and some change. Two whole weeks. I lived on Oahu. I went to the memorial as a young girl. I don’t remember that. May their souls find peace. They certainly deserve it.

On April 11th, 2020, our small town will welcome home the remains of William Harding Crim, a crew member of the USS Oklahoma, whose unidentified remains were buried at the Punchbowl. Extraordinary efforts by the US Navy were undertaken after DNA testing became available to identify and return these sailors to their families. I, and many other veterans, will be there to honor him when he is finally laid to rest in his hometown. Lest We Forget!

The first book I ever bought on Amazon is “Descent Into Darkness” by Commander Edward C. Raymer, a retired USN diver. He talks about diving on the ships after Pearl Harbor. Interesting and sad.

I love how Bettie Page of Death, can explain a sensitive subject with common sense and compassion, Thank You for your Unique work.

My uncle was Sargent of the Guard that morning at Pearl. A young Marine, he sustained wounds, but returned immediately to duty to carry wounded and dead well into the next day. He was subsequently sent overseas to fight on Iwo Jima, where he was seriously wounded. He was sent home for a brief visit, still wearing a plaster cast covering him from shoulder to hip. When he returned to Pearl Harbor 50 years later, he told me many memories returned as he walked around the grounds that day. My parents are of that generation. I am very grateful to read so many posts indicating interest in WWII. My mom (92 now) is deeply concerned that the events and lessons of that era will be forgotten. We know little about the final resting place of those who died during the Bataan Death March. I met a survivor of that event, and saw the tattoo placed on his forearm, identifying him as a Japanese POW.

I was 22 and in the US Navy, when I first saw the memorial. When I saw the marble wall with all the names of the dead, I honestly began to tear up. It's a very emotional experience.

My paternal uncle was killed in the bombings on the USS Arizona. The next day, my grandfather, his brother, signed up for the marines. I want to visit the memorial site. Thank you for doing this subject so delicately. You always do such a fantastic job.

Yes, continue please!

Caitlyn, With all due respect to the considerable demands on your time, could you continue to pursue this issue as your time allows? Yes, hugely interested and thanks for another great job! (Sgnd) A Viet Vet

I've visited the USS Arizona 3 times and it was always quite moving. You can feel the sadness but it's also very calming. Thank you for sharing your experience and for answering my morbid curiosity questions.

My grandpa was at pearl harbor when it got attacked. He said the panging from the men that were trapped awful but the worst part was when the panging stopped...

I would like you to continue this as a series please. As a U.S.N. veteran, I can tell you that we in the Navy were taught (rightfully so) that these sunken ships are considered Holy ground as in consecrated grave sites. Those who died that day are considered heroes, even if all they did was run to what they supposed were the safest points on or in their ships. There are many unsung heroes in all our Armed Forces who need some recognition even if it's just a short telling of what happened. Example: the deadly fire on the U.S.S. Forrestal (1967 during the Viet Nam war).

Its cool that you mentioned the Oklahoma. My great granddaddy was on that ship during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He jumped overboard in just his boxers. That's not how he died but I can't imagine how he felt to know he was one of the few who survived knowing that all your friends and crew mates are stuck in Pearl Harbor.

Just want to send “good vibes” your direction. All of your videos are SO interesting! I’m actually considering going to mortician school thanks to you. So, I just wanted to say: thank you!

Caitlin, as always an excellent video, I love your channel and your way of explaining subjects that many won't touch with a barge pole. Regarding the identification of the Oklahoma crew, do you have an update on the current number of those identified to date (2022)?. Keep up the excellent work 👍 Thankyou.

As one who has family still on board the Arizona I can't thank you enough for what you said at the end. Keep asking questions and keep pushing for IDs.

JESUS CHRIST YES, this series must see the light of day! what a great idea! 🤩

My Grandfather was a Pearl Harbor survivor on the USS New Orleans. He told a few stories about it, he said they sewed shrouds after the bombing, and that at least 300 men died in the bulkhead of the New Orleans. He was instrumental in my Army enlistment, I never wanted to be in a position like he was at Pearl,

This is Excellent Outstanding and Respectful Work. Please Continue . Thank You Caitlin!

Caitlin that bit about surviving veterans being interred back on their respective ships made me cry. That is incredible information. My dad was born on Pearl Harbor Day so I've always had a small inclination to it, wanted to visit as well and show my respect.

You've officially just taught me more about the attack on Pearl Harbor than any of my history teachers ever managed combined. Congrats.

I love your video's Caitlin, you tell the stories with such humor and seriousness making them interesting all the way to the end.💜💕

I really really appreciate this channel. Better than cable TV for sure!

You could do the battle of Stalingrad, the body count is mind boggling , and with cannibalism thrown in. Where did those corpses go? Edit: my boo boo the cannibalism was the siege of Leningrad.

Very interesting, I'd like to see more on this series!

I’ve just found you and am interested in anything that is given with respect and good information. You do that so well. A series on the the war dead would be great. Hope it happens. Continue the hood work

I visited the USS Arizona memorial a few years back. It was so sad and eerie. But also beautiful and honorable. ♥️

On May 4th 2019 First Class Seaman William Hale McKissack, of the USS Oklahoma, returned home to Winters Texas. He was buried in the family plot where his mother and father and other siblings and relatives are buried. It was a very moving and patriotic moment . he was my grandmothers brother and relatives came from all over the country for his memorial.He was releaved of duty by the second in command of the 7th fleet.Thank everyone involved in his recovery and internment.

Fun fact: after they righted and raised the Oklahoma, the navy decided to scrap her. However, while towing her to the mainland the tugs towing her ran into a storm; resulting in her breaking from her moorings and sinking when the rough seas ripped open some of her old wounds.

I love your explanations of history and it’s mysteries. I appreciate you more and more. Thank you

Thanks so much for this video!! I've asked this question for years!!

Hardly waiting for the new video! Great as usual, I always ask myself what's gonna be the next topic...maybe Hiroshima deads ( maybe in August...)?...btw it would make a great Discovery channel serie,I can see Caitlin as a TV documentarist, she's such a good story teller!

This hits home this weekend. In a tiny rural Midwest town, a sailor has come home and will be laid to rest today. He was in the USS Oklahoma. It means so much to this tiny town to be able to bring home one of our heroes!

They recently returned the body of a crew member of the Oklahoma to a town near me. This was pre covid and people were encouraged to turn out for the ceremony

Nice job Caitlin. Informative and respectful.

Even though this one is pretty rough to take in, I really want to see you do more of these. It's uncomfortable but important and I trust you to handle it all with grace and skill.

So happy to see you at Vidcon, it means that you are growing as a RU-vidr. So proud to be a deathling

That was VERY informative and insightful. PLEASE keep up the good work and I personally would look forward to more videos like this. Again THANKS...

Thank you Caitlin for sharing this. To hear our country is doing everything it can to identify the men from the Oklahoma and return them to their families gives me such hope and pride in our nation. These men gave the ultimate sacrifice and everything should be done to provide them with honor and a name. I worked at Pearl Harbor for 10 years and met so many veterans. In 2012, I was fortunate enough to attend the funeral of a veteran who had no family and whose remains had been bequeathed to his only friend, who had died a month before his remains were sent to the Arizona Memorial for burial. The Arizona Memorial asked everyone at Pearl Harbor and the USS Missouri to attend the ceremony. Hundreds came to honor him. I will never forget that moment. God Bless these men and those searching for their names and families.

Would be fascinated to know how radioactive remains, ashes, and partial remains in Hiroshima/Nagasaki were handled. Also to know more about the 'shadows' vaporized remains left behind.

Thank you for mentioning USS Utah (BB-31/AG-16) and her 54 dead. Utah always seems to be the forgotten ship of the attack.

Thank you for having informative and educational videos.

My second cousin’s final resting place is inside the Superfortress (heavy bomber) plane he was piloting in May 1945. It lost airspeed after takeoff and ditched a few miles off the coast of one of the Mariana Islands. (4 of the 11 crew survived.)

Yes, please continue this series! Given the current state of events, I think that what happened to the dead of the Japanese internment camps really should be discussed.

I am not generally made uneasy by much in this life, but there is something about sunken/partially sunken but visible ships that legitimately creeps the heck out of me. I don't mean just the tragic stories like Pearl Harbor or the Titanic, even places like Big Tub Harbour in Lake Huron near Tobermory, Ontario, where the water is so clear that you can see the boats beneath. Cripes, imagining swimming around and having my foot touch part of a ship gives me the heebies AND the jeebies. Fascinating though.

Thank you, My cousin was on the Oklahoma. His remains were just recently identified and returned to Nebraska.

You're awesome Caitlin. Every video you make is so interesting.

Salvage divers recovered many bodies from the ships. My dad had a friend who was a diver at Pearl but was away from the base that morning. On Sunday they began to assess the damage to the ships, and he began to dive on them. He dove on the West Virginia which had sank in minutes because all the hatches had been opened for an inspection scheduled for Monday. He found bodies of men that had been trapped. He dove on Arizona also, My dad saw him in January 1942 when his ship made a stop at Pearl and my dad was transferred to flight school at NAS Pensacola. After about a month of recovery work, he had turned into an alcoholic. Only sober when he was working. He told my dad of being in a ship and seeing burned bodies or parts of bodies floating inside compartments. The impact was too much for him and he committed suicide a few months later.

Yes you should make it into a series

Thank you very much for the videos. Quite informative and you are quite easy to listen to. You have a way of making history interesting. Keep up the good work

Great vid! Fascinating information, I wasn't aware of "Punchbowl" until now.