The Life History of John Chapman: A Pearl Harbor SurvivorÕs Story

The Life History of John Chapman: A Pearl Harbor SurvivorÕs StoryI tend to categorize the many Pearl Harbor Survivors, the sailors on the ships, the seaplane support sailors, the officers at their base, the child survivors, but John is part of a special category of survivors, he was in the water, in the oil. John was extremely fit and was working part time as a lifeguard while he was stationed at Pearl Harbor with the USS West Virginia (BB 48). John Chapman was up to his neck in water deep inside the West Virginia,

I tend to categorize the many Pearl Harbor Survivors, the sailors on the ships, the seaplane support sailors, the officers at their base, the child survivors, but John is part of a special category of survivors, he was in the water, in the oil. John was extremely fit and was working part-time as a lifeguard while he was stationed at Pearl Harbor with the USS West Virginia (BB-48). John Chapman was up to his neck in water deep inside the West Virginia, he had a moment where he heard an Angel tell him to take charge. He saved many sailors at Pearl Harbor, more than thirty men just from the West Virginia, he picked up more from the water after he commandeered a boat, saving maybe more than forty lives total during WWII. John was a rescue diver during the war, receiving a 5-gallon can of ice cream for each pilot safely returned to the carrier! John Chapman is also a Korean and Vietnam Veteran. A US Navy deep-sea diver, he held the initial pilings driven on the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.