NEWTON, Texas — A somber anniversary for our country. 82 years ago, hundreds of Japanese bombers launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and forced the United States into World War Two.
More than 2400 Americans were killed in the attack and some 1100 more were injured.
A Jasper man is sharing his connection to "The Day That Will Live In Infamy."
100-year-old Billy Joe Walker was just 17 when he enlisted in the Navy.
He served on the USS Platte which was an oil tanker.
The vessel would go back and forth between Pearl Harbor and other bases along the West Coast.
It's been 82 years but Walker still remembers Pearl Harbor vividly.
While many of us can only relive the terror of December 7, 1941 through textbooks and documentaries, Walker saw the aftermath and the proceeding war in the Pacific Theater of World War Two with his own eyes.
"Well, you know, I was young then. I wanted to go get them. We pulled in after the attack. The battleships laying alongside the docks, you know, on the side. One or two of them just sunk straight down," he said.
After assisting his comrades at Pearl Harbor, Walker and the USS Platte then set sail and took part in refueling task forces during The Battle of Coral Sea.
The tanker would then join The Enterprise Task Force at the Battle of Midway, where Walker was injured as the tanker was avoiding torpedoes from Japanese submarines.
"The Platte was under submarine attack and it was maneuvering and that's when I fell and banged my head," he said.
After a stay in the hospital, Walker returned to the fleet and served through the end of the war in 1945.
Walker recently celebrated his 100th birthday. He and his wife are about to celebrate their 80th wedding anniversary.
Thank you for your service Gunner's Mate Billy Joe Walker.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.