CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — On this 79th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, there was a special recognition on board the U.S.S. Lexington in Corpus Christi to honor one of the few remaining survivors -- 99-year-old Bob Batterson.
"It has really set the mark for us to remember of how our country came together and we worked together and defeated the enemy in four years," Batterson said.
He was honored during Monday's ceremonies and a video featuring him was shown on the ship's big screen.
Batterson was in Hawaii on that terrifying day. He said he was awakened by Japanese dive bombers flying between the barracks.
"Well, we watch the Japanese just tear us apart and then we went below to see what we could do, and we were starting to take care of sailors who were being brought in," Batterson said. "They'd been picked up out of the burning oil."
He said ultimately he was assigned to fight the fires aboard the burning battleships, and by the end of the day he said it felt like the war was already lost.
During Monday's ceremonies, the Veterans Band of Corpus Christi's pipes and drums took part. While ceremonies were conducted on the flight deck, two screens depicted the events of the sneak attack on the U.S. fleet anchored in the harbor.
Batterson was among those honored in the ceremonies about the warship. He said unfortunately, that sneak attack was not the last on U.S. soil.
"Your Pearl Harbor, the Twin Towers, it was similar to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The aircraft diving into the two buildings," Batterson said.
In U.S. Navy tradition a wreath was laid in the water followed by Taps.
RELATED: Thankful for each other: Group of veterans safely meet every morning despite COVID-19 challenges
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
More from 3News on KIIITV.com:
- New video released by CCPD shows moments before teen was shot, killed on Corpus Christi's southside
- Arrest made after Corpus Christi police find body of 28-year-old woman in southside apartment
- Have you seen this man? The Nueces County Sheriff's Office is trying to locate him
- Purchasing or selling items online? Meet at one of CCPD's safe exchange locations