The 6 men from the Story City community who were stationed in or near the Pearl Harbor area during the attack all survived that terrible event. Lawrence Valen was originally reported to have died during the attack as he was stationed on the USS California. However, his mother received a telegram 2 weeks later notifying her that Lawrence was alive. The 5 others serving in the area were Fred Johnson at Camp Malakole, Kenneth Anderson on the USS West Virginia, Palmer Helvig on the USS Tracey, Henry Jacobs on the USS San Francisco, and Quinten Neriem on the USS Breese. To learn more about these men, please visit their veteran pages on our website with the links provided below.

Kenneth joined the Navy in 1938. He served aboard the USS West Virginia during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was transferred to the USS Enterprise where he served for several years. The Enterprise was in the thick of the battles in the Pacific theater. To learn more about Kenneth, please visit his page on our website:
​https://www.storycityhistory.org/anderson-kenneth-l.html

​To learn more about the USS West Virginia, click here to go to the Naval History and Heritage Command website.

To read the action reports from the USS West Virginia following the attack on Pearl Harbor, click here.

During World War I, seven men from Story City, Iowa, were stationed in Hawaii as part of the U.S. military's Coast Artillery Corps. These men included Oscar Dale, Alfred Jacobson, Fred Jensen, Andrew Matson, Milton Olson, William Peterson, and Elmer Wendel. A special note of distinction goes to five of these men who were part of the C.A.C. Band and participated in the funeral parade for Queen Lili'uokalani, the last reigning monarch of Hawaii. Queen Lili'uokalani, known for her resistance to the U.S. annexation of Hawaii, passed away in 1917, and her funeral was a significant event in Hawaiian history.

The 5 men who were part of the C.A.C. Band were Oscar Dale, Alfred Jacobson, Fred Jensen, Milton Olson, and Elmer Wendel. Elmer brought home the newspaper above which lists all of the many dignitaries, bands, and organizations that marched in the Queen's funeral parade.

Oscar Dale, Alfred Jacobson, Milton Olson, and Elmer Wendel.

Queen Lili'uokalani ruled from January 29, 1891, until the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom on January 17, 1893. The composer of "Aloha ʻOe" and numerous other works, she wrote her autobiography Hawaiʻi's Story by Hawaiʻi's Queen (1898) during her imprisonment following the overthrow.