TWITCHELL-MARTELL

CAPT Martell H. Twitchell was a Navy Chaplain stationed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.  The following are excerpts from an article he wrote sometime after he retired in 1960 describing his experiences that day and following:

I was assigned to Pearl Harbor in 1940.  On December 7^th I was scheduled to conduct an 8:15 a.m. worship service at the Marine Barracks and a 10:00 a.m. service at the Submarine Base, my primary duty station, and a third at 6:30 p.m. at the Naval Ammunition Depot at Lualualei.  I got into my car, picked up my organist and drove towards the Marine Barracks.  En route we stopped at a Japanese Flower Shop and purchased two beautiful poinsettias for the altar.  We drove along Beretania Street, a main highway through Honolulu, still not knowing about the attack.  By this time the Highway Patrol was controlling traffic away from Pearl Harbor.  I was in uniform and waved through.  We saw a strange plane circling over the Army Headquarters but couldn’t see the rising sun emblem on their wings.  Just as we saw the first two planes there was heavy anti-aircraft fire over Hickam Field and Pearl Harbor.  My organist said "We are really practicing today, aren’t we?" but I said, "No we are under attack."

Since I had a service scheduled at the Marine Barracks, we stopped there.  The commanding officer had set up his command post in the basement under the Marine Barracks.  A wave of dive-bombers came toward us diving toward the Naval Shipyards.  I could see bombs plummeting from the planes towards ships and exploding.  I thought everything would be destroyed.  Planes from the Japanese aircraft carriers bombed, torpedoed, damaged or sank most of the ships in Pearl Harbor and all the airfields on the island.  My car was parked near the barracks and a marine sergeant took it to relieve the gate watch.  It came back covered with marines.  They parked it in an exposed area and a truck backed into it crushing the trunk.  When the all-clear signal was given I proceeded to my office at the submarine base and reported my presence to the commanding officer.  The whole area was occupied with sailors who had been rescued from sunken ships and lost everything they owned.  The commanding officer gave me over $5,000 to give to the enlisted men so they could purchase personal items.  The supply depot issued them dry clothing.

Our sick bays were filled with injured men from the ships and I ministered to them as much as possible.  No one knew if the enemy was returning or not.  The commanding officer directed me to go out to naval housing and visit all of the families and instruct them to report downtown to the Army-Navy YMCA.  I knocked on doors for about an hour until my orders were changed because they didn’t think the Japanese would return.  I called my wife late that afternoon to tell her I was all right but I wouldn’t be coming home as I had to stay at my battle station which was a 50 bed dispensary now filled with wounded sailors.  I stayed there and visited with the men, prayed with them and did everything I could to assist.  Thousands more beds were set up in a field hospital on the football field to take the enormous overflow from the Navy Hospital.

Monday afternoon December 8^th, I arranged for some entertainment to take place next to the swimming pool.  I brought in Hilo Hattie and her hula troupe to perform for the men.  Wednesday, December 10^th I finally had lunch with my wife and our 5-year-old daughter.  My wife was not doing well and I thought it was due to lack of sleep.  My wife had been unable to get the windows blacked out.  She had been taking the children under a blanket in the middle of the room at night with a radio and flashlight.  She wasn’t sleeping much at all.  On Friday, December 12^th, a Army nurse called me to say your wife is ill.  I took her to the Navy Dispensary and they said she should be hospitalized.  I didn’t agree so I took her home that night to let her get some sleep.  She slept about one hour then woke up talking loudly and asking a series of non-sensible questions.  I could readily see it was a situation I couldn’t handle.  She had a nervous breakdown and they gave her shock treatment and drugs to restore her sanity.  Orders were given for families to evacuate to the mainland as soon as possible.  I told the doctor, "I’m a coward and I won’t leave my wife her until she is well.”  So the district chaplain’s wife took our children and put them in a temporary foster home.  We decided to wait until January 23 to leave Hawaii.

I did my first regular worship service December 21^st, two weeks after the attack.  Normally chaplains are responsible for the children’s Christmas party.  Most of the children had returned to the mainland so only 35 were left.  I made arrangements with the Army/Navy store downtown so the party could still happen.  I managed to get a Douglas Fir and had it all decked out.  I also had a Christmas movie and refreshments.  I played the part of Santa Claus and when I went to change I told my five year old daughter, “Daddy will be right back." When she approached Santa, she said, "My daddy has disappeared! What must we do?" Santa assured her he would be right back - and I was.

I received orders to report to the Naval Air Station, Pensacola. Florida, and then was assigned to the Navy Pre-Flight School in Athens, Georgia, where I would work with the cadets in training.  After about a year my wife recovered and I was assigned to the USS New Mexico in the Pacific Theater during the rest of the war.  My rank increased from Lieutenant junior grade to Lieutenant, Lieutenant Commander, Commander and finally to Captain in 1953.  I retired from the Navy in 1960.

"Remember Pearl Harbor" is a slogan, which should be instilled in the hearts of every loyal American.  The spirit of calmness, bravery, courage, sacrifice, cooperation and heroism was evident in each task and duty performed.  If every American today compares the spirit of the wounded Sailor who requested the Navy physician to minister first to his wounded buddy, there will be no question whatever concerning our ultimate victory.

     /s/ Chaplain Martell Twitchell, Captain. USN (Ret.)

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)