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John Anderson and his twin brother Delbert “Jake” Anderson were both sailors aboard the USS Arizona when the mighty battleship succumbed to heavy fire on Dec. 7, 1941.
Delbert Anderson went down with the ship, along with 80 percent of the crew, after the forward magazines exploded, while his brother was among the shipmates lucky enough to have survived.
John Anderson desperately searched for his identical twin in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, risking his life in a futile hunt for his brother, who was last seen manning an anti-aircraft gun.
On Wednesday, the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the brothers were finally reunited.
“They’re together,” a tearful son, John Anderson Jr., 47, said afterward. “Being able to participate in that and seeing my father off — it was a great day.”
Boatswain’s Mate Second Class John Anderson, who died Nov. 13 at the age of 98, and another surviving sailor, Seaman First Class Clarendon Hetrick, who died April 18 at age 92, were interred in a private ceremony at the USS Arizona Memorial.
The solemn and stirring ceremony is unique to the Arizona, the only U.S. Navy ship that returns to the deep the cremated remains of those who survived the attack. Forty-one survivors have now been added to the watery grave. This year was the first time the ritual featured two interments.
Only five survivors, all in their 90s, are still alive from the Arizona, the ship that endured the greatest losses that day. A total of 1,177 sailors and Marines were killed in the surprise onslaught of Japanese bombs.
With family members, guests and dignitaries on hand Wednesday, the ashes of the two former sailors were placed in the well of turret No. 4 by Navy and National Park Service divers.
According to the National Park Service, Hetrick was on board preparing for shore leave when the attack started. After manning his battle station on the third deck, he was ordered to help pass ammunition from below to higher decks.
But the abandon-ship order was sounded just as the magazine area was starting to fill with smoke, and Hetrick found a way to jump off the starboard side of the Arizona and swim to Ford Island.
The survivor went on to serve on two more ships in the Navy until 1949, and then joined the Air Force before retiring in 1961.
His son, Bob Hetrick, struggled with his emotions Wednesday as he talked about his dad and the day’s events.
“There’s nobody in the world who is going to take care of my dad for eternity better than the Arizona Memorial. He’s going to be safe, guarded over and looked after for eternity right here. And there’s no place I’d rather have him.
“This was his wish and I’m honored to carry it out,” he said, clutching the American flag presented to him at the ceremony.
Another son, Ben Hetrick, said his father didn’t talk about his shipmates much.
“That was one of the reasons why he wanted to go back to the Arizona,” he said, “because of the 1,177 people who were on the ship and didn’t return. I think he felt he should have been one of those.”
Karolyn Anderson, wife of John Anderson, said her husband struggled with guilt over the years, blaming himself for leaving his brother behind.
“He loved his brother, and it’s a comfort to know that he’s there with Jake. And yes, I was so sad to see him go under the water to be entombed there. But I know it would make him so, so happy.”
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