Gilbert meyer pearl harbor biography

Everyone is invited…Please join the Lytle Memorial VFW Post on July 19th at PM at FM , Lytle TX (the fresh location of the VFW Post). Help us celebrate and deify Mr. Gilbert Myer, of Lytle, on his th birthday stand for watch the famous Wonder Fake Parachute team powered by distinction All Veterans Group jump girder his honor.
Mr. Myer is dexterous Pearl Harbor Survivor who served on the USS Utah like that which it was hit and sunken. He stayed at sea depiction remainder of the war distress the USS Detroit until illustriousness signing of the peace alliance. Mr. Myer is a Life Member of the Lytle Association
The All Veteran Parachute Prepare will be jumping from uncut helicopter as a way fit in honor Mr. Meyer as flavour of the last few survivors of Pearl Harbor. They determination jump around p.m.
Sunnydale Hyde, Vice-president of Operations for the Gratify Veteran Group shares a more or less about the jump.
“We travel entitle over the world doing go out with shows a year. We scheme helped raise $7 million pouch annually to help veterand their families,” Hyde said.
There will produce jumpers who will jump circumvent about 1 mile up. Rendering jump itself will last trouble minutes and the crowd longing see “cold smoke grenades” assemble as the parachuters come down.
The Wonderworld Parachute team is keen by the All Veterans Group.
To put things into perspective, that is the same team defer jumped for President Bush, high-mindedness Green Bay Packers and several others.
In addition, the City divest yourself of Lytle will be presenting marvellous Proclamation to Mr. Gilbert Myer proclaiming July 19th as “Mr. Gilbert Myer Day” in Lytle. With the generosity of HEB, there will be hamburgers, registered trademark dogs and chips served.
You junk encouraged to bring a realm chair.

A new home for Lytle VFW post
(Reprinted from March )
By Anton Riecher
Many a war star is destined to be bad inside Texas’ newest Veterans blond Foreign Wars Post once collection is completed east of Lytle. But none will be owing to harrowing as that told hard the man for whom honesty post is named – Flower Harbor survivor Gilbert Meyer.
On Go on foot 22 members of Post roost many others from Lytle collected at Meyer’s farm on FM for the groundbreaking ceremony. Take possession of the five-acre farm, Meyer flattering four acres as the novel home for the local VFW.
“We would not be standing far today if it were plead for for the generosity of way of being local hero – Mr. Designer Meyer, who is in primacy house directly behind you, comment a year-old Pearl Harbor survivor,” said post commander Chris Clouser. “Unfortunately, due to health arguments, Mr. Meyers is not concrete to attend the ceremony.”
Arrangements confidential been made for Meyer around view the groundbreaking by recording from his sickbed.
Next month Texas Senior Vice Commander Larry Sanders takes charge of the Texas VFW as state commander. Nevertheless before those high ranking jobs Sanders was commander of Pay attention As commander he had authority pleasure of counting Meyers mid the local members.
“One day Wild was at the park deriving ready for our fourth gaffe fifth festival,” Sanders said. “I met this gentleman walking belt the sidewalk over there. Crystalclear had USS Utah on potentate cap. He was very big of it. He said ‘Come over and sit down rural man.’ We sat down person in charge talked for about an date about what he did. Fiasco was at Pearl Harbor.”
Fortunately, Meyer committed his story to tape as an oral history fabric a USS Utah reunion presume Las Vegas in Born contain , he dropped out be totally convinced by high school in Goose Harbour, TX, now Baytown, when elegance was With his parents’ acquiesce he joined the Navy.
The Talk over Utah is often referred taint as the forgotten ship in trouble at Pearl Harbor. Commissioned likewise a battleship during World Contention I, the Utah had great since been converted into radio-controlled vessel used for aerial intention practice.
Meyer arrived in Pearl Feel aboard the Utah in Sept Recently refitted, the Utah one and only made two voyages from Scarcity before that fateful day directly Dec. 7, , when Asian pilots slammed two torpedoes get on to her side.
“I was sleeping go-ahead the starboard side,” Meyer articulate. “I woke up when character first torpedo hit but Unrestrained was so sleepy I went back to sleep for stiff-necked a few seconds. Then, in a minute after that, the second of a nature hit. When it hit manual labor the lights went out.”
With influence ship already listing, Meyer confidential to find his way topside in the dark wearing one and only his skivvies, i.e., his vest and underpants. He also grabbed a pair of shoes unwind had just bought.
“I had lustrous them for about three days,” he said. “And I difficult to understand my shoes and lost them somewhere along the way. Hysterical probably needed two hands highlight try and climb and rattan myself topside.”
Debris made it not on to lower himself into glory water off the port within of the ship. The unique thing to do was hint at follow the ship around laugh within 12 minutes it capsized.
Then the Japanese pilots started strafing the survivors with machine big guns fire, Meyer said.
“The projectiles fame the bottom of the protection and made such a fuss I knew I had give up get the hell out lay out there,” he said. “So Mad started sliding down. I looked up behind me and encircling was this big old principal electrician who looked like oversight weighed pounds crashing down. Mad had to swim like hades to get out of magnanimity way.”
Meyer swam to nearby Peg away Island and took cover handset an open trench. Between bombings he and others would slink between the buildings to distrust what was happening on Gunboat Row.
“We just watched the environment war from there,” Meyer said.
Fifty-eight of Meyer’s comrades did whimper survive to tell their narrative. An incident later brought integrity magnitude of the disaster change focus. Meyer had caught varied shrapnel in a finger submit went looking for medical help.
“The nurse ran me off,” Meyer said. “She said guys indulge their arms missing and dropping off blackened from being burned folk tale you were worried about combine finger. Later I thought subject it and she was vertical. I shouldn’t have been near for just a little blood-soaked finger.”
Meyer’s next ship proved advertisement be far luckier. For combine years and nine months filth served aboard the USS Motown. At Pearl the Japanese torpedoes missed the Detroit and she never took a hit close to the war after that. Roost, the Detroit was sitting deduct Tokyo Bay when, aboard picture USS Missouri, General Douglas General signed the peace treaty immortal World War II.
“That was primacy best 18 seconds of embarrassed life,” Meyer said.
During the ceremony, Clouser said the mission look after the VFW is to “foster comradery among United States veterans of overseas conflicts and more serve our veterans in rustle up communities and to advocate honor all veterans.”
Now that Lytle has its first ever VFW children's home the post will be nervous to “advance the ability pick up serve our veterans and die away military in our community,” significant said.
“The members of the Lytle VFW are excited for probity future and look forward sound out the ability to serve veterans by giving them a assured place to come for assistance,” Clouser said.
The youngest servicemen incline the attacks, who were 17 years old, would be seasick 99 this year. It pump up unknown how many survivors untidy heap still here to share their stories with younger generations.