All the Gallant Men

An American Sailor's Firsthand Account of Pearl Harbor

De: Donald Stratton, Ken Gire

Narrado por: Mike Ortego

The New York Times bestselling memoir of survival and heroism at Pearl Harbor

“An unforgettable story of unfathomable courage.” —Reader’s Digest

In this, the first memoir by a USS Arizona sailor, Donald Stratton delivers an inspiring and unforgettable eyewitness account of the Pearl Harbor attack and his remarkable return to the fight.

At 8:06 a.m. on December 7, 1941, Seaman First Class Donald Stratton was consumed by an inferno. A million pounds of explosives had detonated beneath his battle station aboard the USS Arizona, barely fifteen minutes into Japan’s surprise attack on American forces at Pearl Harbor. Near death and burned across two thirds of his body, Don, a nineteen-year-old Nebraskan who had been steeled by the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, summoned the will to haul himself hand over hand across a rope tethered to a neighboring vessel. Forty-five feet below, the harbor’s flaming, oil-slick water boiled with enemy bullets; all around him the world tore itself apart.

In this extraordinary never-before-told eyewitness account of the Pearl Harbor attack—the only memoir ever written by a survivor of the USS Arizona—ninety-four-year-old veteran Donald Stratton finally shares his unforgettable personal tale of bravery and survival on December 7, 1941, his harrowing recovery, and his inspiring determination to return to the fight.

Don and four other sailors made it safely across the same line that morning, a small miracle on a day that claimed the lives of 1,177 of their Arizona shipmates—approximately half the American fatalaties at Pearl Harbor. Sent to military hospitals for a year, Don refused doctors’ advice to amputate his limbs and battled to relearn how to walk. The U.S. Navy gave him a medical discharge, believing he would never again be fit for service, but Don had unfinished business. In June 1944, he sailed back into the teeth of the Pacific War on a destroyer, destined for combat in the crucial battles of Leyte Gulf, Luzon, and Okinawa, thus earning the distinction of having been present for the opening shots and the final major battle of America’s Second World War.

As the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack approaches, Don, a great-grandfather of five and one of five living survivors of the Arizona, offers an unprecedentedly intimate reflection on the tragedy that drew America into the greatest armed conflict in history. All the Gallant Men is a book for the ages, one of the most remarkable—and remarkably inspiring—memoirs of any kind to appear in recent years

Incredibly told

One of the most incredibly told stories of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The story is powerful and the narration does it justice. Powerful reminder, I especially like that Don Stratton tells of the lessons learned and the changes made. Thank you sir for your heroic service, for going above and beyond and for inspiring others.

Should be required reading for every American!

I knew of Don Stratton because I’m a fellow Nebraskan. What a story he told and what a life he led! Wish I had read this before visiting Pearl Harbor & the Arizona Memorial. RIP Don.

read or listen, it's a must, I thought I knew but

loved it. I learned a lot. but it's not just a documentary it's a life well lived.

Oh my goodness!

This “history report” is so amazing. We need to not forget what our past generations did for our freedom.

Outstanding!

Incredible book by a member of the greatest generation. A tale of the horror of war.

Fabulous story

A story all should listen to and take to heart. A generation of men that we will never see again.

Amazing!!

This is an amazing account, fantastic book, extremely well researched and presented. A true hero.

Eye opening and wonderful

great listen. it's like sitting down and listening to an old timers account of what happened. I cried a bit and regained a deep appreciation for those gallant men

Remember Pearl Harbor

Dear Lord,

Lest I continue
My complacent way,
Help me to remember that somewhere,
Somehow out there
A man died for me today.
As long as there be war,
I then must
Ask and answer
Am I worth dying for?

For the survivors of the USS Arizona those are words that lived with them since December 7, 1941. It is the question they spent a lifetime trying to answer. This is the story of one of those men who survived.

This is a gripping story of a terrible event that changed the course of history for America and the world. Donald Stratton tells us about himself, his shipmates and his country in this book. If you've got an ounce of patriotic blood in you, you may shed a tear as he describes what so many went through on that day.

He asks that we Remember Pearl Harbor. We need to. We need to remember what happened that day in order to ensure that it doesn't happen again. He draws a parallel to the attacks of September 11, 2001 and mentions how so many others thought the same thing. I believe we need to Remember 9-11 too in order ensure that that sort of thing does not happen again. But I'm afraid that 9-11 has dwindled to just an annual memorial service.

This book also tells of the struggle of the flesh. Donald Stratton wants to forgive the men who murdered his shipmates, but he cannot. Although as a Christian he knows what the Bible says about loving your enemies, he has been unable to do that. And that is true for so many of that generation. I will not pass judgement on him for that, for he Remembers Pearl Harbor.

Is Donald Stratton worth dying for. Yes he is. And so are we all. But Donald knows that. The man who died for him on that Sunday morning in December of 1941 was not the first to die for him. It would appear that Donald Stratton also knew of a Savior who gave his life for him on the cross almost 2000 years earlier. He is the one who died for all men and women and boys and girls. Stratton mentions Him in the book. His name is Jesus Christ.

A great book by one of our WWII heroes.

This book was a very interesting read. It is short enough to finish in one sitting . It gives a first hand account of the attack on Pearl Harbor that includes personal experiences and a point of view from a veteran that lived it. Thank you, Don Stratton, for this book and for your service to our nation.