Whidbey Purple Heart

Wings of Gold, Spring 2004

Whidbey Purple Heart. Over 62 years is a long time to wait for something you deserve. For retired Master Chief Radioman Glenn Lane of Oak Harbor, Washington the wait recently ended when he was awarded the Purple Heart.

"It means closure," said Lane. "I've reached my twilight years and this is a good ending," he said. Through the efforts of Congressman Rick Larsen, 2nd District (D-Wash.), Lane was finally honored for wounds suffered during the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7th, 1941, while he was aboard the battleship USS Arizona. At the First Baptist Church in Oak Harbor, Lane stood in his Service Dress Blues as CAPT Stephen Black, NAS Whidbey Island CO, pinned on the medal in the company of Lane's wife Beverly and family members.

In reference to the "day of infamy," CAPT Black said, "It was a black day in all aspects, from the smoke-filled skies to oily waters. he said the black and white images we remembered in newsprint and film could not capture the red blood of Lane and his shipmates." Lane was a Radioman Third Class at the time of the attack.

"Fire came on like a ball," he remembered. "T covered my face - I thought I was dying." He was swept overboard, swam in oil -covered water to a whaleboat near the USS Nevada, then helped man a five-inch gun on Nevada until that ship was hit as well. In the picture, CAPT Black applauds Master Chief Lane during the ceremony. (Story by Tony Popp; Photo by PH2 casey Hutchens)