Pearl Harbor survivor returns to Hawaii for the first time

DENVER COLORADO – Former Marine Lucian Weltzer never thought he’d set foot on Pearl Harbor, again.

“He never wanted to go back,” said colleague Jim Blane. 

Weltzer witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941.”There was so many guys wounded,” said Weltzer. “We were only a block from the harbor and there was so much smoke.”

The 89-year-old served with the U.S.S Pennsylvania. He says that was the first ship to fire at Japanese bomber planes after the attack.

After six years of service, he left the military, and Pearl Harbor, behind.

Then, Weltzer’s wife found out about The Greatest Generations Foundation. The non-profit group organizes trips for veterans to go back to the battlefields where they fought. The trips are free.

“We feel very strongly about allowing these men to go back,” said Foundation President Timothy Davis. “It’s at least my way to say ‘thank you’ to the veterans who helped create the freedom we enjoy today.”

Lucian Weltzer, along with seven other veterans, left for Hawaii Tuesday afternoon.

Every December, hundreds of Pearl Harbor survivors reunite in Hawaii. Weltzer says he’s looking forward to the trip. However, he also knows it could bring about an emotional moment when he pays tribute to a friend who died onboard the sunken U.S.S. Arizona.

“That’s the only thing I hate about going there,” he said. “Because his body’s still down there.”

Experts estimate there are about 5,000 Pearl Harbor survivors still living.

Retired Marine Corporal Jim Blane says the trip is important, and more young people need to know more about what happened at Pearl Harbor.

“Our stories will be told,” he said. “But we’d like to tell them now, while we’re still living.”

Pearl Harbor Survivor Returns For First Time

DENVER — A Pearl Harbor survivor from Colorado is making his first journey back since that fateful day in 1941 that thrust America into World War II. Lew Weltzer, 89, left DIA Tuesday, bound for Hawaii with his wife and several other veterans who served throughout the Pacific theater.

Joe Weinmeier was a flame thrower at Iwo Jima. “It was a terrible, terrible experience,” said Weinmeier. Weltzer was aboard the first ship to fire back at Japanese dive bombers during the attack on Dec. 7, 1941.

He is looking forward to walking aboard the USS Arizona this year on the 66th anniversary. His best friend, Michael Givazzo, died on the Arizona during the attack. “In the safe of the Arizona, Michael had an engagement ring. And after he got back, he told me he was going to propose to this gal from California,” said Weltzer.

Weltzer’s wife is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran herself. The group will attend commemorations this Friday. They plan to return to Colorado on Sunday.