ORVILLE V. CALFEE, LAST COCKE COUNTY PEARL HARBOR SURVIVOR, DIES AT 92
Newport - Cocke County's last survivor of the infamous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor has died. Orville V. Calfee passed away Thursday, October 27, following a period of declining health. Calfee was the last of six local young men who found themselves under bombardment by enemy aircraft on Sunday, December 7, 1941. Calfee was only 17 years old in the late spring of 1941 when he lied about his age and enlisted in the U.S. Army. During a 2001 interview, he recalled his admiration and envy of several cousins who had enlisted in the military. "My cousins were going in," he said, "and made me want to go. I liked their uniforms when they came home." He also admitted that wearing a uniform came in handy when attracting girls. After deciding to enlist, Calfee used an older brother's name and birth date in order to be accepted. Tall and strong, the handsome recruit was accepted into service. "I got all that straightened out later," he laughed. His decision to enlist took him to the idyllic islands shortly before the December 7 attack. He later was sent to Guadalcanal where he survived some of the worst fighting of World War II. He was in the artillery and took his basic training in Georgia. "I'd been in Hawaii about six months before the Japanese attacked," he recalled. "We knew they wanted to fight and were trying to get ready for that. I was an artillery man and had to train in the infantry before I went to Guadalcanal." On that fateful Decemeber morning, Calfee said," I was right in the middle of Pearl Harbor eating breakfast," when the attack began. "I ran outside and got behind a coconut tree. He had no warning at all." While Japanese guns strafed the island, Calfee and others managed to dig gun pits in the coral rock of a cane field. After the attack, Calfee and his fellow survivors found themselves marooned for several days. His daughter Linda remembered her father saying, "Nothing came in and nothing came out. Dad said he found some cotton floating in the water. He gathered it up and dried it out to make him a sort of bed." The survivors also faced food shortages. They later found kegs of hardtack buried under a road. "Supposedly the hardtack was 50 years old," his daughter added. "They ate that. They were just isolated. People don't think about that part of it." Regarding his time at Guadalcanal, Calfee said, "they told us we landed on one end of the island the same day the Japanese landed on the other. We were able to get two 105 Howitzers at Guadalcanal and that helped. We didn't fight right then. They came across the hills, but our infantry won. We finally got the guns in place by hand. We didn't have any trucks, but finally got a Jeep or two. We fired until we ran out of shells. We laid it on 'em." Calfee remained on Guadalcanal approximately three months and was then shipped back to the United States where he was soon discharged. He earned the rank of Corporal and received the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon with two Bronze Stars, the American Defense Service Medal with one Bronze Star, and the Good Conduct Medal. Upon returning to Cocke County, Calfee married schoolmate Nettie Mae Holt on April 18, 1946. She preceded him in death. The couple were married over 65 years. Funeral services for Calfee will be held Saturday, October 29, at Manes Funeral Home with Pastors Jon Sims and Tommy Burke officiating. Interment will be in Hew Home Cemetery.
(Obituary from "Newport Plain Talk," by Duay O'Neil, Assistant Editor, Oct. 29, 2016.)
Newport - Cocke County's last survivor of the infamous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor has died. Orville V. Calfee passed away Thursday, October 27, following a period of declining health. Calfee was the last of six local young men who found themselves under bombardment by enemy aircraft on Sunday, December 7, 1941. Calfee was only 17 years old in the late spring of 1941 when he lied about his age and enlisted in the U.S. Army. During a 2001 interview, he recalled his admiration and envy of several cousins who had enlisted in the military. "My cousins were going in," he said, "and made me want to go. I liked their uniforms when they came home." He also admitted that wearing a uniform came in handy when attracting girls. After deciding to enlist, Calfee used an older brother's name and birth date in order to be accepted. Tall and strong, the handsome recruit was accepted into service. "I got all that straightened out later," he laughed. His decision to enlist took him to the idyllic islands shortly before the December 7 attack. He later was sent to Guadalcanal where he survived some of the worst fighting of World War II. He was in the artillery and took his basic training in Georgia. "I'd been in Hawaii about six months before the Japanese attacked," he recalled. "We knew they wanted to fight and were trying to get ready for that. I was an artillery man and had to train in the infantry before I went to Guadalcanal." On that fateful Decemeber morning, Calfee said," I was right in the middle of Pearl Harbor eating breakfast," when the attack began. "I ran outside and got behind a coconut tree. He had no warning at all." While Japanese guns strafed the island, Calfee and others managed to dig gun pits in the coral rock of a cane field. After the attack, Calfee and his fellow survivors found themselves marooned for several days. His daughter Linda remembered her father saying, "Nothing came in and nothing came out. Dad said he found some cotton floating in the water. He gathered it up and dried it out to make him a sort of bed." The survivors also faced food shortages. They later found kegs of hardtack buried under a road. "Supposedly the hardtack was 50 years old," his daughter added. "They ate that. They were just isolated. People don't think about that part of it." Regarding his time at Guadalcanal, Calfee said, "they told us we landed on one end of the island the same day the Japanese landed on the other. We were able to get two 105 Howitzers at Guadalcanal and that helped. We didn't fight right then. They came across the hills, but our infantry won. We finally got the guns in place by hand. We didn't have any trucks, but finally got a Jeep or two. We fired until we ran out of shells. We laid it on 'em." Calfee remained on Guadalcanal approximately three months and was then shipped back to the United States where he was soon discharged. He earned the rank of Corporal and received the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon with two Bronze Stars, the American Defense Service Medal with one Bronze Star, and the Good Conduct Medal. Upon returning to Cocke County, Calfee married schoolmate Nettie Mae Holt on April 18, 1946. She preceded him in death. The couple were married over 65 years. Funeral services for Calfee will be held Saturday, October 29, at Manes Funeral Home with Pastors Jon Sims and Tommy Burke officiating. Interment will be in Hew Home Cemetery.
(Obituary from "Newport Plain Talk," by Duay O'Neil, Assistant Editor, Oct. 29, 2016.)
ORVILLE V. CALFEE, LAST COCKE COUNTY PEARL HARBOR SURVIVOR, DIES AT 92
Newport - Cocke County's last survivor of the infamous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor has died. Orville V. Calfee passed away Thursday, October 27, following a period of declining health. Calfee was the last of six local young men who found themselves under bombardment by enemy aircraft on Sunday, December 7, 1941. Calfee was only 17 years old in the late spring of 1941 when he lied about his age and enlisted in the U.S. Army. During a 2001 interview, he recalled his admiration and envy of several cousins who had enlisted in the military. "My cousins were going in," he said, "and made me want to go. I liked their uniforms when they came home." He also admitted that wearing a uniform came in handy when attracting girls. After deciding to enlist, Calfee used an older brother's name and birth date in order to be accepted. Tall and strong, the handsome recruit was accepted into service. "I got all that straightened out later," he laughed. His decision to enlist took him to the idyllic islands shortly before the December 7 attack. He later was sent to Guadalcanal where he survived some of the worst fighting of World War II. He was in the artillery and took his basic training in Georgia. "I'd been in Hawaii about six months before the Japanese attacked," he recalled. "We knew they wanted to fight and were trying to get ready for that. I was an artillery man and had to train in the infantry before I went to Guadalcanal." On that fateful Decemeber morning, Calfee said," I was right in the middle of Pearl Harbor eating breakfast," when the attack began. "I ran outside and got behind a coconut tree. He had no warning at all." While Japanese guns strafed the island, Calfee and others managed to dig gun pits in the coral rock of a cane field. After the attack, Calfee and his fellow survivors found themselves marooned for several days. His daughter Linda remembered her father saying, "Nothing came in and nothing came out. Dad said he found some cotton floating in the water. He gathered it up and dried it out to make him a sort of bed." The survivors also faced food shortages. They later found kegs of hardtack buried under a road. "Supposedly the hardtack was 50 years old," his daughter added. "They ate that. They were just isolated. People don't think about that part of it." Regarding his time at Guadalcanal, Calfee said, "they told us we landed on one end of the island the same day the Japanese landed on the other. We were able to get two 105 Howitzers at Guadalcanal and that helped. We didn't fight right then. They came across the hills, but our infantry won. We finally got the guns in place by hand. We didn't have any trucks, but finally got a Jeep or two. We fired until we ran out of shells. We laid it on 'em." Calfee remained on Guadalcanal approximately three months and was then shipped back to the United States where he was soon discharged. He earned the rank of Corporal and received the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon with two Bronze Stars, the American Defense Service Medal with one Bronze Star, and the Good Conduct Medal. Upon returning to Cocke County, Calfee married schoolmate Nettie Mae Holt on April 18, 1946. She preceded him in death. The couple were married over 65 years. Funeral services for Calfee will be held Saturday, October 29, at Manes Funeral Home with Pastors Jon Sims and Tommy Burke officiating. Interment will be in Hew Home Cemetery.
(Obituary from "Newport Plain Talk," by Duay O'Neil, Assistant Editor, Oct. 29, 2016.)
Newport - Cocke County's last survivor of the infamous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor has died. Orville V. Calfee passed away Thursday, October 27, following a period of declining health. Calfee was the last of six local young men who found themselves under bombardment by enemy aircraft on Sunday, December 7, 1941. Calfee was only 17 years old in the late spring of 1941 when he lied about his age and enlisted in the U.S. Army. During a 2001 interview, he recalled his admiration and envy of several cousins who had enlisted in the military. "My cousins were going in," he said, "and made me want to go. I liked their uniforms when they came home." He also admitted that wearing a uniform came in handy when attracting girls. After deciding to enlist, Calfee used an older brother's name and birth date in order to be accepted. Tall and strong, the handsome recruit was accepted into service. "I got all that straightened out later," he laughed. His decision to enlist took him to the idyllic islands shortly before the December 7 attack. He later was sent to Guadalcanal where he survived some of the worst fighting of World War II. He was in the artillery and took his basic training in Georgia. "I'd been in Hawaii about six months before the Japanese attacked," he recalled. "We knew they wanted to fight and were trying to get ready for that. I was an artillery man and had to train in the infantry before I went to Guadalcanal." On that fateful Decemeber morning, Calfee said," I was right in the middle of Pearl Harbor eating breakfast," when the attack began. "I ran outside and got behind a coconut tree. He had no warning at all." While Japanese guns strafed the island, Calfee and others managed to dig gun pits in the coral rock of a cane field. After the attack, Calfee and his fellow survivors found themselves marooned for several days. His daughter Linda remembered her father saying, "Nothing came in and nothing came out. Dad said he found some cotton floating in the water. He gathered it up and dried it out to make him a sort of bed." The survivors also faced food shortages. They later found kegs of hardtack buried under a road. "Supposedly the hardtack was 50 years old," his daughter added. "They ate that. They were just isolated. People don't think about that part of it." Regarding his time at Guadalcanal, Calfee said, "they told us we landed on one end of the island the same day the Japanese landed on the other. We were able to get two 105 Howitzers at Guadalcanal and that helped. We didn't fight right then. They came across the hills, but our infantry won. We finally got the guns in place by hand. We didn't have any trucks, but finally got a Jeep or two. We fired until we ran out of shells. We laid it on 'em." Calfee remained on Guadalcanal approximately three months and was then shipped back to the United States where he was soon discharged. He earned the rank of Corporal and received the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon with two Bronze Stars, the American Defense Service Medal with one Bronze Star, and the Good Conduct Medal. Upon returning to Cocke County, Calfee married schoolmate Nettie Mae Holt on April 18, 1946. She preceded him in death. The couple were married over 65 years. Funeral services for Calfee will be held Saturday, October 29, at Manes Funeral Home with Pastors Jon Sims and Tommy Burke officiating. Interment will be in Hew Home Cemetery.
(Obituary from "Newport Plain Talk," by Duay O'Neil, Assistant Editor, Oct. 29, 2016.)
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
