E23: A Claremore Grad's memory of Pearl Harbor

A Claremore native, John Cockrum was in his junior year at Claremore High School when Pearl Harbor was attacked in December 1941. Later, as seniors, he and four of his classmates — anticipating they would be drafted — agreed to join the Navy together. For Cockrum, though, there was a snag: Too young at age 17, he needed a parent’s permission to enlist. And his mother wouldn’t give it. Finally, he succeeded in getting his father to sign. He graduated from CHS on a Tuesday night and on Friday he was on his way to San Diego for boot camp. From boot camp, he went on to serve on board the USS Piranah in the Pacific and is one of the few remaining survivors from Pearl Harbor.