KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — One fateful day in 1945, off the coast of Japan during World War II, a 19-year-old sailor from Knoxville was aboard a warship when it struck an enemy mine and started sinking fast.
“It was chaotic. I mean … everybody yelling (and) screaming,” said now Bob Luttrell.
Now 98 years old, he recalled flames blanketing the ocean after the explosion and sharks circling just beneath the surface. Luttrell recalled giving his life jacket to a fellow sailor who couldn’t swim, and then jumped into the water.
“I just went off like a frog,” said Luttrell.
After making it to a life raft, his self-rescue wasn’t over. A rope connecting it to the sinking ship threatened to drag all the sailors aboard down underwater. Mr. Luttrell said he pulled out a knife that he forged from steel collected during a stay at the U.S. base on Pearl Harbor before shipping out to join the fight in The Pacific.
The sailor at the front of the raft grabbed the knife, cut the rope, but then accidentally dropped the one-of-a-kind blade in the sea. But after freeing themselves from the doomed ship it was time to help other men in peril.
“I picked up ten sailors,” said Luttrell.
He also recalled floating on the ocean for close to four hours before a U.S. Navy ship pulled everyone on the life raft aboard the ship.
In addition to our on-camera interview, Mr. Luttrell took time to answer the following ten questions about the impact his military service had on the rest of his life.
What is the one person who most influenced your life?
Well, that's the other day, my mother.
Well, do you feel honored and respected for serving your country?
Yes. There's no doubt about it. There's an example of it. I was presented with that blanket. With a quilt of valor.
How can people thank you for your service?
Don't expect anything other than (thank you.) And the little kids that do it is worth twice as much as the grown-ups. I know they're sincere. Yeah, well, they're sincere. And it's just to me, it was an opportunity that I cherish.
How do you honor your fellow servicemen and women?
How do I honor them? Well, they're brothers. And they we have respect for each other. It's and grown. And we enjoy the past
How do you think this generation of service men and women is different than when you served or similar?
Well, those young men in service up there (at) Gibbs. They were like we were we were proud of our uniform. They were dressed like we should have been dressed. We were strictly business.
How did your military service influence the rest of your life?
This pointed in right direction. I learned more in the military than I did it three years at University. I'm not kidding.
Would you encourage your son, daughter younger generations in your family to join the service?
Of course they saw and heard what all I went through. That was a lot and they don't want that. I said look at just one of those things that happens. When you join the military. I told my granddaughter, 'You’re gonna have rough roads, stick with it. Don't throw in, don't give up. You get 20 years, you get out to go to retirement, you go to another job and get a retirement for 20 years. And you come out and you got four years.' And I said four years you can retire at 55.
How has your opinion of war changed?
I don't think war solves a lot of problems. But war has been God's instrument ever since Joshua and Moses. They had to fight for it. And it's something that has to be done. It's not something that is going to be handed to you.
How has your military experience shaped your faith?
My faith, it's solid. That story I give you the read. Yes. We had kids on roads that had never even been to church. God will take care of you.