August 5, 2003
Web master Note: At the time
of the writing of this story, Jacques was in ill health and slowly
but steadily yielding to the inescapable conclusion of his life with
us.
That day came on August 5th,
2003 shortly after Jacques was moved to a local nursing home near his
home in southwestern Louisiana. Ironically, his old girlfriend of his
younger years happened to be in the same nursing home -- neither
knowing of the other's presence.
As you will read in the
following story, Jacques had a passion in life -- above all else --
and that was to eat. It is fitting that on the day of his passing, he
had just finished his favorite meal of the day, breakfast, when a
nurses aide came into his room to find that he had dozed off and
passed away with a smile on his face.
Jacques is no longer with
us...but his memory will forever be with those who cared deeply for
him.
Jacques -- let us hope that
you are where you can still enjoy a full and bountiful breakfast each
and every day.
We will all miss you
Jacques!
Sunday, December 7, 1941
This is a brief story of a
very fine elderly gentleman who deserves some credit and recognition
for a job he did many years ago and to this day has been denied what
he has felt since back in 1941 at Pear Harbor -- his rightful
due.
The story you are about to
read needs to be said and forever known as the events that Jacques
experienced some 60 years ago. Jacques, you see, is now in failing
health and has a number of ailments and diseases that will eventually
lead to his leaving forever his loved ones. So this tale is being
written by his son-in-law, Joe Richard, the webmaster of this
site.
Some ten years or so ago, I
(his son-in-law) managed to get Jacques to relate to me a story that
up until that time had only heard in whispers, bits and pieces and in
general with much speculation. We were sitting one fine spring
morning in the family living room on the farm in Acadia Parish,
Louisiana visiting while drinking coffee and talking about the "war"
and Jacques' yet to be revelations of the events that surrounded the
morning of Sunday, December 7th, 1941, at Schofield Barracks/Wheeler
Field on the island of Oahu, Territory of Hawaii.
Additional information came
to light last weekend when his daughter, Carol spent the weekend
visiting with Jacques and along with a copy of the material as
originally contained on this page, sat down and discussed in detail,
the subject of Pearl Harbor Day with her Dad...for the first time
ever. The discussion was a bit of an eye opener and at times Jacques
had memory lapses. However, from this conversation with him, his wife
and two of his daughters present, the following is transcribed from
the notes taken during that discussion.
We all knew of the fact that
Jacques was there during the attack and subsequent head-over-heels
hurdling into the global war by the up to this time neutral United
States of America. However, Jacques always refused to talk about his
experiences of that fateful day to which he became a witness to one
of the most catastrophic events in American history.
We had all heard of the nice
and pleasant experiences that Jacques had lived during his years in
the war. For Jacques enlisted into the Army early in 1941. He often
talked of his many experiences regarding food -- Jacques loved (and
still does love) to eat. He talks of his train trip across the
country from Florida to California and except for the kindness of
folks along the way, the new soldiers were only marginally fed.
This fondness for food and
the wonderful experience of eating could possibly have been a major
factor in saving his life and that of his friend, Joseph Lanclos, on
the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941.
26 October 2002 -- New images
from Jacques personal photo album from his days in Hawaii are now
placed throughout this narrative. Jacques had another photo album
with even better images of the aftermath of the attack on Pearl
Harbor and the island defences. This album disappeared when my wife,
his oldest daugter was a young child. It has never been seen
since.
Jacques Story ----
"Jacques Fuselier entered the
U. S. Army in 1940 and was trained as an anti-aircraft [gunner]
specialist. He often joked at how he had wished he had paid more
attention in class -- for he was trained not with the real thing;
but, with guns made of wood! He mentions that the reason behind this
was a shortage of weapons, many being diverted to the European
theater of the "our yet to be entered into the war". He was later
additionally trained as a heavy truck driver, for he had had driving
experience for many years. His father owned and ran a small farm
[some 40 acres or so] and he had learned how to drive farm equipment
when a child (His eldest daughter -- the wife of this researcher,
carried on the tradition also by learning at about the time her feet
could reach the pedals). Few men coming out of the great depression
of the 30's, serving at this time, had any driving experience...much
less on heavy equipment. This would serve Jacques well later on
during the war.
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When the draft was
initiated, Jacques agreed to go into the service for the
required one year of service and at which time, he and his
brother, Levin, would in essence, "swap places" as he put
it. Levin was the only other son and he was left at home to
work the farm. When Jacques' year was about to expire, he
had the opportunity to take an assignment in the tropical
paradise of Hawaii, if he would accept another year's tour.
So, out of the "kindness of heart", he accepted the
extension -- thus allowing his brother the luxury of staying
home on the farm and skipping the years service, while
Jacques went off to see the Pacific and its'
wonders.
Jacques' big crutch
in life was and is his ferocious appetite. He can eat any
time, any place, and anything. This point is mentioned, for
it quite probably saved his life.
On Sunday, December
7, 1941, Jacques was stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
and had been stationed there prior to the war (he arrived on
9 October 1941).
Schofield Barracks
was located near the center of the Hawaiian island of Oahu
adjacent to Wheeler Field, the largest Army Air Corps Base
in the Pacific.
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Jacques sporting his summer dress
uniform.
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On Schofield Barracks, there
was housing for a large number of soldiers, and there was additional
housing in the form of "tent cities" located on the reservation as
well as on and near Wheeler Field. It has not been established in my
mind as to the exact location as to where Jacques was actually
living...whether in the barracks or in the tent city. He has
mentioned the "tent city" on a number of occasions. It is my
understanding that because of the large contingent of servicemen
there, the new arrivals were housed in the tent city and as time
passed -- many ended up in the "barracks" proper. A build-up of
troops was in progress because of heightened tensions with
Japan.
Every Sunday morning, while
his buddies in the barracks(?) were catching extra z's, he and his
best buddy, Joseph W.
Lanclos [Note: See contents from
Joseph
W. Lanclos Letter ] -- currently of
Arnaudville, Louisiana, would hurry over to the mess hall to be at
the beginning of the line for a huge breakfast...his favorite meal of
the day.
This specific morning,
Jacques and Joseph hurried to the large outdoor kitchen at Schofield
Barracks, near the rifle range to partake of a breakfast consisting
of flap jacks -- a favorite of both. Well, on that fateful morning
while standing in that line, they heard in the distance the drone of
a large number of planes and they noticed that large formations of
planes were seen approaching the harbor and airfields...not unusual,
but the numbers were larger than usually seen at any given
time.
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They figured that
something special was happening, maybe a new bigwig being
posted to Pearl Harbor. While observing the formations of
planes, the men noticed that the planes were apparently
dropping something. Indeed they were... BOMBS and they began
to explode all over the place, for this was the beginning of
the 'day of infamy'...Pearl Harbor Day and America's rude
entry into the conflict that will be forever remembered as
World War II.
Jacques recalls
while in line, a Japanese plane was flying directly
overhead, so low in fact, that he felt that he could almost
reach out and touch it. He thought it odd, and as it passed
overhead, the gunner in the rear, waved merrily to the men
on the ground -- while at the same time, the pilot began
firing at the massed soldiers gathered at Schofield
Barracks. Jacques remembers the bullets hitting the asphalt
and throwing up chunks of asphalt. As he watched, a second
plane passed overhead also flying low.
This plane dropped a
bomb almost directly overhead with the forward momentum
carrying the bomb some hundred yards or so and making a
direct hit on one of the buildings, almost totally
destroying the structure.
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Jacques in a casual pose.
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Prior to the attack, some
three weeks or so previous, a large supply of World War I 30 caliber
ammunition was brought to Schofield Barracks/Wheeler Field and stored
in a large building there...the same building that was apparently hit
by the bomb! Afterthought...it seems that the spies that Japan had
living on the island had done their homework -- all too
well.
On a recent visit
home(September 2002), Jacques was alert and in a very talkative mood.
For a while we talked once more about some of the events on that
fateful day in December 1941. He told me that as the planes came over
and began firing on the troops massed for breakfast, the troops
(understandably) began to run and scatter. As they began to run,
Jacques distinctly recalls the banging and clanging of the troops
mess kits (usually attached to their web belts while in line awaiting
their turn) as they ran. Quite a racket they made, too. He thought
that in the chaos, it was ironically funny listening to all of that
banging and clanking. It is almost comical, someone recalls such
small details such as this during times of extreme
stress.
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As the attack was in
progress, the bombs began to fall in earnest, the officers
began shouting orders for everyone to head to the nearby
rifle range to be issued firearms and
ammunition.
About this time, the
men at Schofield could look down towards the harbor and view
the terrible sight unfolding as the attacking planes began
to wreak their havoc among the anchored ships in the harbor.
They could see what appeared to be a "mist" or "fog" rising
from the harbor area. Jacques did not elaborate on this
(quite possibly results of the bombing).
After the men were
in the process of being armed, the men who were
anti-aircraft trained, such as Jacques, were ordered to head
to the mouth of the harbor to man the battery of
anti-aircraft guns (3-inch) located there. The guns were
situated in a "firing pit" of sorts that allowed for the
weapon to rotate to follow attacking aircraft.
Upon reaching this
assignment, the men began firing on the attacking aircraft
(it is assumed that at this time, the attack had entered
into the second wave of aircraft).
The weapons were
fired and targets were plentiful, indeed. The firing was to
the extent that the barrels became red hot and the guns
began jamming.
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Jacques firing an '03.
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Some of the jamming guns
would actually "buck like a bucking bronco" and literally fall back
onto the gunners in the firing pits! The officers and noncoms on hand
began issuing orders to exit the firing pits for fear of the weapons
exploding and injuring or killing the men in the pits. Jacques did as
he was told, and got out of the firing pit, and began to run, falling
into a large hole. He recalls being dazed, stunned and appeared to
have fallen into a large "black hole" in which he had to climb
out.(bomb crater?)
He exited the hole, and ran
away from the anti-aircraft position being told by one of the
officers present to return to his unit at Schofield/Wheeler (at this
point, Jacques mentions returning to his outfit to assist them in
clearing the runway area of debris to allow the few remaining
aircraft (approximately three) to have a clear path to
take-off.
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Touring some of the attack
damage.
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Jacques was engaged in
righting and removing a creosote laden barrel near the runway, when
his feet slipped out from under him causing him to smash his jaw
heavily onto the edge of the barrel -- breaking free two upper teeth.
This same action, according to Jacques, quite possibly injured his
back.
Jacques goes on the say that
"all hell had broken loose" all over the island and was pure chaos.
This continued until about 3 P.M. that day. The chaos then became
more organized chaos (if you can call it that) and at this point many
men were detailed to help in recovery of wounded and in the recovery
of the tremendous numbers of American dead -- on land and in the
water. Jacques, as we mentioned earlier was trained as a heavy duty
truck driver and recalls the sober task of recovering the dead. He
was detailed to drive a truck used in this grizzly task -- thankful
that he was not detailed to the task of actual recovery.
Jacques at some point (it
appears from his comments that this was the next day) was sent to the
hospital/dispensary to have the jaw looked at. The doctor who
attended to Jacques, happened to be a dentist. He applied some
stitches to the "wound" and at some point about here in Jacques'
story he was placed in the hospital/dispensary as an in-patient for
"three days". The same doctor, later told Jacques that he was a
dentist and while in the hospital, built him two new stainless steel
crowns -- thus replacing the teeth which had been knocked out in the
accident. Jacques recalls the date of this dental work as being the
8th of December. Jacques also mentions recalling the nationality of
the attending doctor: he was Japanese-American!
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Why was Jacques
placed in the hospital/dispensary for a three day period? Is
it possible that this was due to the fact that he complained
of a hurt back and he was there for observation and tests?
We are not certain at this point. A check of his recently
received military medical records indicate nothing in his
records in Hawaii until some months later.
During this time
period and the preceding months in Hawaii, Jacques was
discovered to have contracted a case of TB (tuberculosis).
This was discovered during one of his stays in the hospital
during his tour in Hawaii. He had gone into the hospital
after injuring his back on at least two occasions as
mentioned in his medical records. The records also mention
the point that 'he originally injured his back at age 12
[1936] when he fell some 8 feet to the ground from a tree,
and landing on his bottom'. The induction physical he took
when entering the service makes NO mention of such an
injury. His family also was aware of NO such mention of an
injury until the released medical records came to light.
Jacques, later on,
following these events was designated as a driver for the
chaplain of the 53rd Brigade at Ft. Shafter. This was his
first military chauffeur job.
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Touring some of the attack
damage.
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He later tells of how he was
designated as the driver to a "one star general" who took him along
to one of the islands after it was invaded and taken from the
Japanese. He did not elaborate as to all of the details, except that
the island was usually "secure" when this happened. Jacques medical
records give a history of some of his service and mentions that the
majority of his 35 months service in Hawaii was spent as a "staff car
driver".
Jacques was eventually placed
in the hospital with a case of TB and during October or November of
1944 he was flown back stateside for additional treatment. On the
long flight from Hawaii, Jacques remembers being in a bed aboard the
plane, directly over another soldier -- who was being sent home for
severe burns over most of his body. He recalls how severely the man
was burned and the sad sight of him during the long overwater trip.
He arrived in California and
was isolated for a week in quarantine while undergoing testing. He
recalls that after being released from quarantine, he spent a night
at some hotel in southern California before being shipped off to
Sante Fe, New Mexico for further treatment of his case of TB. He
eventually was kept in treatment in the military until his release
from active service in March of 1945.
When the family of Jacques
Fuselier requested the military medical records, the records arrived
some months later (2000) and the early medical records from his first
months in Hawaii are nonexistent. Why? I, for one would love to know.
They appear to start after the first few months of 1942 and only
briefly at that.
Oh -- and one other thing
regarding the medical records. The pile of records was some 500 or so
pages in length covering many years. One notation did stand out in
the records. During the many hospital stays that Jacques had while in
Hawaii, at some point, he was tested for allergies. This resultant
finding was repeated on a number of the records: Allergy to GRASS
SKIRTS. Humm, interesting...
I for one would welcome any
and all input from his fellow servicemen who also would have been
stationed at Schofield Barracks/Wheeler Field on the morning of
December 7, 1941 -- for I along with other family members would love
to hear from someone who might have had a similar experience at
Schofield Barracks that morning almost 60 years ago."
Additional notes on 26 June
2002. It has always been the contention of Jacques Fuselier that he
was injured during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Jacques has lived with these memories all of his life and has spent
most of his life afterwards coming to grips with the military, the
Office of Veterans Affairs, and attempting to set the records
straight -- all to no avail. The VA (and military) in their infinite
wisdom has never done right by Jacques especially as his age began to
fail and he became ill with the numerous ailments that are slowly and
inexorably eating away at his last vestiges of life -- cancer,
runaway diabetes, strokes, heart attacks to mention a few. Jacques
and his family have attempted to get the military to acknowledge that
he was indeed injured on the day of the Japanese attack on the Hawaii
islands and subsequently received a Purple Heart for those injuries.
This in turn would have allowed him to be able to try and get
additional benefits to assist in his medical treatment -- has been
ongoing for a number of years now.
Jacques is losing the fight.
He is bed ridden, having to depend totally on others for his daily
care and well being. Just a few days ago, his wife received a letter
from the VA telling them that they (the VA) have again reviewed his
case and deny any additional benefits. Case closed.
As a young child, the wife of
this writer and web master vividly recalls playing with the campaign
ribbons that Jacques had brought home -- doing so while playing with
her dolls. She also recalls playing with a very special medal and
ribbon -- for it was heavy, in the shape of a heart with a man's head
imprinted on it. The attached ribbon as well as the heart shaped
medal itself was also in her favorite color -- purple!
I do believe that there are
not too many awards given out by the American military that match
this description -- but one: the Purple Heart.
This medal along with other
memorabilia were kept from Jacques family by his sister and has
vanished since her death some years ago. My wife, Jacques' eldest
daughter recalls this special item, and also recalls that after
playing with it as a child, it was never seen again by family members
other than the sister of Jacques.
When reviewing the discharge
papers with Jacques some time back, and looking over the citations --
I noted that absence of the Purple Heart on the "official records"
and questioned Jacques about this. He responded that when he was
being discharged, the lady typing the papers was being overseen by an
Army officer who TOLD HER what to type -- end of story.
Jacques many years ago told
me his story of the events of December 7, 1941 and many of the
details differ sharply from the events depicted in the above
narrative. The official version above is from conversations taken
over a period of time and in conjunction with the so called "official
medical records" that were eventually received through intervention
by my U. S. Senator.
Jacques, like so many other
veterans, has been a very bitter man for most of his life -- which is
directly related to the events of Pearl Harbor and what followed. He
spent the better part of three and a half years in and out of
hospitals during his military career. He was suffering from a broken
back as well as tuberculosis which was detected during one of his
many hospital stays. He has contended all of his life that the
military has done him wrong. His family agrees.
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Image of downed Japanese
fighter/bomber.
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Image of downed Japanese
fighter/bomber.
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Official Images taken of the same Zero -- AI-154
piloted by NAP1/c Takeshi Hirano.
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Japanese
Type 00 Carrier Fighter ("Zero") that crashed at Fort
Kamehameha, near Pearl Harbor, during the attack.
This
plane, which had tail code "A1-154" and a red band around
its rear fuselage, came from the aircraft carrier
Akagi.
Official
U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National
Archives.
(Click
on images for larger view)
Images from:
Naval
Historical Center homepage
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Japanese
Navy Type 00 Carrier Fighter (A6M2)
Interior
of the cockpit of a "Zero" which crashed into Building 52 at
Fort Kamehameha, Oahu, during the 7 December 1941 raid on
Pearl Harbor. The pilot, who was killed, was NAP1/c Takeshi
Hirano. Plane's tail code was "AI-154".
Note the
U.S. manufactured Fairchild Radio Compass in the upper
center (Compass Model RC-4, Serial # 484). It was tuned in
on 760 KC.
Official
U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National
Archives.
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--
Joseph L. Richard, Son in law of Jacques Fuselier.
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Taps for
Mr. Jacques
Fuselier
August 5, 2003
Basile, Louisiana
Hq. Battery, 771 AAA Gun Battalion
Pearl Harbor Survivor -- World War II Veteran
United States Army
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Originally written on: 17 July 2001
Story modified on: 26 June 2002
Story modified on: 5 September 2002 (Lanclos letter
contents)
Jacques
Fuselier was born in 1919, in Eunice, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana to
Thoegen Fuselier and Marie Louise Fournerat. He was married in 1946,
shortly after the war ended to Ollie MANUEL (who is the subject of
another short tale in this section) of Eunice, St. Landry Parish.
Jacques was the youngest son in a family of one girl and two boys. He
has spent all of his life in the Eunice/Basile area living and
working the family farm and as a carpenter -- living a tough, but
rewarding farm lifestyle. Jacques and Ollie raised a family of three
fine young southern ladies who today are making their mark on the
world. One daughter is a school principle, a second is a nurse of 34+
years experience and the third is a successful homemaker and mother
of three.
Veterans
Survey Form
September 5,
2002.
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