“My mother thought that my Uncle Paul had been killed because he was missing in action...days after the attack she had gone to a movie and before the show started, a clip of the damaged USS Shaw was shown sailing into San Francisco Harbor and at the front of the ship was her brother Paul waving his arms. It was at that moment they knew he was alive.”
Representative Thomas Murt
The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program is honored to announce that the December 2016 story of the month has been selected to honor the service of Pearl Harbor Survivor Paul Brown. On the 73rd anniversary of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program attended the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Association Liberty Bell Philadelphia Chapter ceremony commemorating the attack on Pearl Harbor. At the ceremony, Pennsylvania Representative Thomas Murt spoke about the Service of his Uncle, Paul Brown on the USS Shaw DD 373. 
Brown was serving on the USS Shaw on Sunday December 7th, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The USS Shaw was hit by three bombs, one of which struck the forward magazine which resulted in a catastrophic explosion killing a number of the crew.
Representative Murt remarked, “My mother thought that my Uncle Paul had been killed because he was missing in action...days after the attack she had gone to a move and before the movie started, a clip of the damaged USS Shaw was shown sailing into San Francisco Harbor and at the front of the ship was her brother Paul waving his arms. It was at that moment they knew he was alive.” Brown would continue to serve on the USS Shaw throughout the Pacific War after repairs were made.
This story of the month is dedicated to the brave Americans who fought and died defending our Nation on December the 7th 1941, a data which will live in infamy.
The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program honors the memory of Pearl Harbor Survivor Paul Brown, shared by United States Army Veteran and State Representative Thomas Murt, featured within this series titled, Tales from the Navy Log, Story of the Month. Each month, this series honors a Veteran’s story recorded by the Stories of Service Program at the Navy Memorial. To learn more about this story and to explore the Navy Memorial Tales from the Navy Log archive, visit the Navy Memorial Stories of Service site at http://navylog.navymemorial.org/stories-of-service
To view this interview please visit the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Association Liberty Bell Philadelphia Chapter Collection on the stories of service page.