Flashback - “Remembering Stu”

For this month’s “Flashback”, we want to pay tribute to a San Diego Veteran who impacted our community and gave so much to his country. We “Flashback” to December 2019 when U.S. Navy WWII Pearl Harbor Survivor Stu Hedley was our Veteran of the Month. Sadly, Stu passed away at 99-years-young on Aug. 4, 2021.

VETERAN OF THE MONTH During the attack, Stu and his shipmate wanted to see what was happening outside, so they opened their San Diego - December 2019 periscope cap and he watched in horror as the USS By Holly Shaffner Arizona was struck. “I saw the explosions and bodies being thrown in the air,” said Hedley.

Chief Petty Officer Stu Hedley, USN

This month’s selectee is the Veteran of the Month; but he should be Veteran of the Decade.

In honor of the 78th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor, we select WWII veteran and Pearl Harbor Survivor Stuart “Stu” Hedley as the Veteran of the Month. Stu turned 98 years old in October and he can recount every detail from December 7th, 1941 like it was yesterday. He and his shipmate knew they had to get out on deck and when they did, he saw the USS West Virginia was listing 15 degrees and he thought the ship would capsize. He watched the USS Oklahoma capsize and they knew they had to get off the ship. The ship was moored outboard of the USS Tennessee and they had to figure out how to board the battleship. Stu watched as fellow sailors were being killed as they tried to use lines to cross over to the ship. He saw the barrel of one of the ships guns extending over the ship, so he and his buddy ran across it and jumped on to the Tennessee.

The time was 0755 and he was stationed on the battleship USS West Virginia. Stu was looking forward to going on a picnic with a girl and her mom that day but instead he witnessed hundreds of Japanese bombers invading Pearl Harbor on a sleepy Sunday morning. Over the intercom, he heard “away the fire and rescue party” and he made his way to the weather decks. Out on deck, he saw the barrage of enemy planes striking the battleships. A Japanese bomber flew so close that he could see the enemy air crew laughing as they fired their weapons and dropped torpedoes into the harbor.

One of the USS West Virginia officers yelled, “Battle Stations on the double!” and Seaman First Class Hedley ran to Gun Turret #3 where he was the gun pointer for the 16-inch gun. Once there, he could hear the machine bullets striking the turret and could feel the torpedoes hitting the ship.

The West Virginia took hits from six torpedoes and two bombs, one bomb landed near Stu’s battle station. He is here today to tell his story because that bomb did not explode. Eleven other men in the turret next to him were not as fortunate as they all perished. Stu is a man of deep religious faith and he told his buddy, “If I don’t die today, I will see the end of the war.”

Once onboard the Tennessee, they were instructed to get to shore. Between the ship and shore were flames shooting up about 30 feet off the water from the burning petroleum. Stu stripped down to his skivvies and he and his buddy jumped feet first into the water. They swam as far as they could under water and came up twice through the burning flames to get air. “It was the hottest breath of air I have ever taken,” said Hedley. They reached the beach as the USS West Virginia sank into the mud.

They were taken to the base dispensary and since they were not wounded, they were given ointment, sulfa and morphine and told to render care to injured men. At about 0925 Stu saw an enemy plane making a bombing run and he yelled “Duck!” The enemy plane dropped a bomb in the center of the dispensary.

Stu’s near brushes with death did not end there. The West Virginia was being refloated and repaired so he was reassigned to the USS San Francisco which was ordered to the Battle of Guadalcanal.

The San Francisco sustained major damage and 236 men lost their lives, including his best friend, Johnny Anderson. Stu tells the story of being tasked with helping the ship’s doctor identify bodies, including coming upon the dismembered body of Johnny.

After 13 combat engagements and 20 years of service, Stu retired as Chief Petty Officer. Even though he loved the Navy, he knew that it was time to go so that younger sailors had the opportunity to advance.

Photo by Zach Coco “Pictures for Heroes”

Stu was married to his bride Wanda and had five children. They would take a trip every five years to celebrate their marriage and for the 25th anniversary, they went back to Hawaii. As they were taking a tour boat into the harbor, Stu had flashbacks of the enemy planes. He could hear and see the planes remembered all the sounds and smells. His wife asked what was going on and for the first time Stu told her that he was there on December 7, 1941.

Stu and Wanda were married for 64 years when she passed away. After her death, Stu wanted to dedicate the rest of his life to serving others. He serves the community through his church and was an active member of the local Pearl Harbor He served in leadership positions and was the President when they closed the chapter due to his brothers passing away.

At 98 years young and in his “free” time, he is an accomplished speaker often speaking to children and community groups. He estimates that he has educated over 200,000 people about the horrific events of December 7th. He says that in today’s history books, there is barely a paragraph talking about the attacks on Pearl Harbor. He tells the students to “stay in school” and “learn to love one another”. His advice for everyone is simple –

“set goals and stick with them” and “be committed to what

you are doing”.

This is great advice from a member of our Greatest Generation. On this December 7th, Stu will be back in Pearl Harbor. He knows firsthand the sacrifices our nation made on that fateful day.

“I will be there to honor those who didn’t make it and to pray for families who lost their

loved one,” Hedley said about this year’s remembrance.

Stu does not think he is a hero, but we do. He is an American treasure and we are glad that he is here today to share his story with us.

Stuart Noble Hedley

Chief Petty Officer U.S. Navy Retired October 21, 1921 - August 4, 2021