THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PACIFIC WAR THE NIMITZ MUSEUM PRESENTS AN ORAL HISTORY BY DENO PETRUCCIANI TAPE # 344 SIDE ONE TODAY IS DECEMBER 8, 2001. I AM INTERVIEWTING MR. DENA PETRUGGCIANI. DENO PET RU C ANI. PETRUGGGCIANI) INTER THAT MAKES IT EASY. MR. DENO PETRUGGCIANI. THIS INTERVIEW IS TAKING PLACE IN FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS NEAR THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PACIFIC WAR. THE INTERVIEW IS IN DIRECT SUPPORT OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PACIIC WAR CENTER FOR WAR STUDIES FOR THE PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL INFORMATION RELATED TO WORLD WAR II. MR. PETRUGGCIANI, WE WANT TO THANK YOU VERY,VERY MUCH FOR GIVING THE MUSEUM YOUR TIME AND TO SHARE SOME OF YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE MUSEUM FOR THE INDIVIDUALS WHO WILL STUDY THIS IN THE FUTURE. TO START WITH, I WOULD LIKE ASK, CAN YOU SHARE WITH US WHERE YOU WERE BORN AND WHEN YOU WERE BORN? DENO KALIMAR, ILLINOIS. INTER AND WHAT WAS THE YEAR? DENO 1922. INTER WHAT WERE YOUR PARENTS NAMES AND MAY BE THE WHERE THEY WERE BORN? DO YOU HAVE ANY RECALL ON THAT? DENO MY DAD’S NAME WAS ROBERT AND MY MOTHER’S NAME WAS, I DON’T KNOW WHAT HERE NAME WAS. SHE DIED EARLY. HER LAST NAME WAS MOOCHY (phonetic). INTER DO YOU REMEMBER IF THEY WERE BORN IN THE UNITED STATES? DENO NO, THEY WERE BORN ACROSS THE POND. 2 INTER THEY CAME OVER FROM EUROPE? IMMIGRATED? DENO YEAH. INTER WHERE WAS YOUR FATHER FROM? DENO HE WAS FROM FLORENCE. INTER ANDYOUR MOTHER? DENO MY MOTHER WAS FROM BOLOGNA INTER YOUR FATHER CAME FROM FLORENCE AND YOUR MOTHER FROM BOLGNA? DENO YEAH. FIRST GENERATION TO BE BORN OVER HERE. INTER FIRST GENERATION TO BE BORN OVER HERE. DID YOU HAVE ANY BROTHERS AND SISTERS? DENO YES, I HAD ONE BROTHER AND TWO SISTERS. INTER DO YOU REMEMBER THEIR NAMES? DENO YES. INTER YOU HAD HOW MANY BROTHERS AND SISTERS? DENO ONE BROTHER AND TWO SISTERS. INTER WERE THEY OLDER OR YOUNGER THAN YOU? DENO THEY WERE OLDER. INTER DID ANY OF THEM SERVE IN THE MILITARY AS WELL, OR WERE THEY----? 3 DENO NO. INTER SO YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE. WHERE DID YOU GO TO SCHOOL? DENO IN PANAMA, ILLINOIS. INTER IN PANAMA, ILLINOIS. DID YOU COMPLETE THRU HIGI SCHOOL OR DID YOU LEAVE EARLY? DENO I COMPLETED 3 YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL AND THE 4TH YEAR, I HAD TO GO TO THE COUNTY SEAT TO GET INTO COLLEGE. I USED TO TAKE 2 CLASSES OF TYPING. THEY LOOKED AT ALL THE GRADES AND LET US OFF. INTER SO YOU GRADUATED FROM THE COUNTY? DENO YEAH. INTER FROM THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE? DENO FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL. INTER WAS IT AFTER THAT THAT YOU WINT INTO THE NAVY, OR WHEN YOU MAKE A DECISION TO GO INTO THE NAVY? DENO I WENT IN THE NAVY SEPTEMBER 25, 1940. INTER WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE NAVY? DENO I THOUGHT I WOULD GO SEE A LOT OF THE WORLD. I SAW A LOT WATER. INTER YOU ENLISTED, OR WERE YOU DRAFTED? DENO I ENLISTED. 4 INTER DO YOU REMEMBER WHERE YOU WENT FOR BASIC TRAINING? DENO AT GREAT LAKES. INTER IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU REMEMBERABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE AT THE GREAT LAKES DURING BASIC TRAINING THAT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO SHARE WITH INDIVIDIUALS WHO ARE GOING TO READ THIS? DENO NO. INTER WAS IT A LONG BASIC TRAINING OR A SHORT BASIC TRAINING.? DENO IT WAS FAIRLY LONG. WE LOADED ON TO A TRAIN AND WENT TO THE WEST COAST. INTER THIS WAS AFTER BASIC TRAINING? DENO YES. INTER DID YOU GO OUT TO SAN DIEGO? DENO NO INTER WHERE DID YU END UP ON THE WEST COAST? DENO IN BREMERTON, WASHINGTON. INTER WHEN YOU LEFT BASIC TRAINING, DO YOU REMEMBER WHETHER AT THAT POINT, HAD THEY SENT YOU TO ANY SCHOOLS YET OR HAD THEY SAID WHAT KIND OF FUNTION THEY WANTED YOU TO PERFORM AT THAT POINT IN THE NAVY? DENO NO. INTER WHAT HAPPENED AT BREMERTON, THEN? DID YOU GO TO SCHOOL THERE? 5 DENO NO. INTER YOU WANT TO TELL US IN YOUR WORDS WHAT HAPPENED THERE? DENO I WENT ABOARD SHIP. CHIPPED ALL THE PAINT OFF IT. INTER IS THAT WHAT YOUR JOB WAS? DENO YEAH. INTER WAS THAT ON THE MARYLAND? DENO YES, INTER SO THAT’S WHERE YOU BOARDED AND WERE ASSIGNED TO THE USS MARYLAND? DENO YES.I WENT TO THE WEST COAST AND WENT TO BREMERTON, WASHINGTON. WHAT I DID WAS NOT OUT OF THE ORDINARY. I CHIPPED PAINT, PAINTED. INTER YOU PROBABLY HANDLED THE SHIPS LINES FOR MOORING? DENO I DIDN’T DO THAT. INTER YOU DIDN’T DO THAT? DENO NO. INTER AFTER YOU BOARDED THE USS MARYLAND WHICH IS A BATTLESHIP AND YOU WERE IN THE DECK DIVISION, CHIPPING, PAINTING AND WHAT NOT, DO YOU REMEMBER ANY OF THE EXERCIZES OR THE DEPLOYMENT, WHERE THE SHIP WENT BEFORE YOU GOT TO PEARL HARBOR? DID YOU DO ANY EXERCIZES? DENO NO. WE JUST WENT TO SEA FOR A SHORT TIME AND CAME BACK AND PAINTED SOME MORE. 6 INTER ANYONE WHO DID SOME TIME IN THE NAVY DID SOME OF THAT. DENO. PAINT AND CHIP AND WHATEVER ELSE I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO. THEN WE BOARDED A TRAIN AND WENT TO THE COAST. INTER WHICH COAST? DENO THE WEST COAST. INTER THAT’S WHEN YOU BOARDED THE USS MARYLAND. THEN YOU WERE IN AND OUT OF PORT DOING SOME SEA EXERCIZES GETTING THE SHIP IN SHAPE OBVIOUSLY. DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU WENT TO PEARL HARBOR? DENO OH YEAH. I WENT THE IN JANUARY IN 1941. INTER YOU SAILED ABOARD THE MARYLAND IN HER DEPLOYMENTS. DO YOU REMEMBER ---- LET’S GO TO PEARL HARBOR DAY WHEN THE JAPANESE ATTACKED PEARL HARBOR. DO YOU REMEMBER WHERE YOU WERE THAT MORNING AND WHAT YOU WERE DOING? DENO I WAS SLEEPING. INTER YOU WERE ASLEEP ON THE SHIP? DENO YEAH. INTER DO YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH US JUST WHAT YOU CAN REMEMBER ABOUT THE EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE THAT DAY AS YOU REMEMBER THEM? HOW WERE YOU AWAKENED? DID THEY SOUND GENERAL QUARTERS? DENO YES. VOICE OF SOMEONE WITH DENO YOU REMEMBER. YOU TOLD ME BEFORE. 7 DENO I KNOW. I WAS ASLEEP AND WOKE UP. I COULDN’T FIND MY CLOTHES. I HAD A PAIR OF SHOES ON. I WENT DOWN TO MY BATTLE STATION WHICH WAS THE THIRD DECK AFT, AFTER STEERING. I GOT TIRED. I WAS DOWN TO (GARBELED) I SAID, I GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE. THEY CALLED FOR A MAN TO COME TOPSIDE— INTER VOLUNTEERS? DENO YEAH. I VOLUNTEERED TO GO UP TOPSIDE AND BOY! I GOT TOPSIDE AND THERE WAS FIRE ON OIL AND ???BURNING OUT BAD. THERE WERE BLOOD AND OIL. BOY, THAT WAS BAD. YOU COULD HEAR THEM HOLLERING FOR HELP. THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO. WE TRIED TO GET THEM OUT. THEY WERE HOLLORING UNTIL THEY BURNED UP AND IT WAS QUIET. INTER THESE WERE YOUR SHIPMATES? THESE WERE YOUR FRIENDS ABOARD SHIP. WERE THEY ON THE MARYLAND OR WERE THEY ON ANOTHER SHIP? DENO I DON’T KNOW WHAT SHIP THEY WERE ON OR WERE THEY WERE FROM. I DON’T KNOW. I CAN’T REMEMBER. INTER BUT, YOU COULD HEAR THEM IN THE WATER? DENO YEAH. THEY WERE SCREAMING. THEY WERE BURNING UP IN HOT BOILING OIL WAS 30 FOOT DEEP. IT WAS FUEL OIL, SPILLED OUT OF THE SHIPS, CAUGHT FIRE. THOSE KIDS WERE IN THE OIL, SWIMMING AROUND, BURNING UP. THERE WA NOTHING WE COULD DO. WE COULDN’T GET THEM OUT. WE DIDN’T HAVE A BOAT AND THEY BURNED IN THE OIL. INTER DO YOU HAVE ANY --- DO YOU REMEMBER HOW YOU ESCAPED, HOW YOU SURVIVED THAT DAY. WITH ALL THAT WAS GOING ON? DENO YES. THEY CAME AND GOT ME. THEY THREW ME ROPES THAT CAME FROM THE SHIP THAT WAS TIED ALONGSIDE OF US, THE OKLAHOMA HAD TURNED OVER. 8 INTER YOU CUT THE ROPES? DENO YEAH. INTER WHAT HAPPENED? DENO I HAD TO GO BACK TO THE FIRE------ INTER SO YOU CUT THE OKLAHOMA LOOSE, CUT THE LINES YOU WERE MOORED ALONGSIDE THE OKLAHOMA AND DO YOU RECALL THEN, BECAUSE YOU WERE MOORED OUT OF BATTTLESHIP ROW, DID YOU REMAIN ABOARD THE SHIP OR DID YOU----? DENO YES. I STAYED ON THE SHIP AND THEY CAME AND GOT ME AND MY BUDDY WAS OUT RHERE FIGHTING THE FIRE. WE GOT AWAY FROM THAT. THEY TOOK US UP THERE TO CHOP THE ROPES. WHEN WE GOT THROUGH WITH THAT, THEY PUT US BACK DOWN BY THE FIRE. ALL YOU COULD HEAR WAS THE GUYS IN BOILING OIL. INTER DO YOU RMEMBER WHETHER THE MARYLAND SUSTAINED A GREAT DEAL OF DAMAGE THAT DAY? DENO WE GOT A BOMB AND A TORPEDO. ONE MAN WAS KILLED. HE WAS UP ON THE BRIDGE. A PIECE OF SHRAPNEL TOR HIS THROAT OUT. HE WAS DEAD. HE WAS A LIEUTENANT. INTER THE FIRE WAS YOUR BIGGEST MEMORY, IT BURNED SO FIERCELY. ALL THE MEN SWIMMING AROUND IN THAT OIL TRYING TO----- DENO YEAH. I DON’T HOW MANY WAS IN THERE. THE JAPS CAME BACK THROUGH THERE. THEY WERE SCREAMING AND HOLLERING. ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY WERE QIUET. INTER 9 DID YOU HAVE ANY OF YOUR FRIENDS ABOARD THE USS MARYLAND THAT WERE KILLED THAT DAY? DENO NO INTER NOBODY THAT YOU WERE PARTICULARLY CLOSE TO? DENO NO INTER AFTER THE ATTACK ENDED, DENO, DO YOU HAVE ANY RECOLLECTION ABOUT YOU DID AT THAT POINT OR HOW UTILIZED THOSE WHO WERE STILL LIVING TO BATTLE TO BATTLE THE FIRES AND ANY EXPERIENCES THERE YOU MIGHT WANT TO SHARE? DENO THEY TOOK US DOWN TO THE FIRES AND I CAN STILL HEAR MY SHIPMATES SCREAMING AND HOLLORING TO HIGH HEAVEN.