Fr. Aloysius Schmitt (Lieutenant, Junior Grade), known affectionately as “Father Al,” had just finished celebrating 7 a.m. Mass aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma (BB-37) at Pearl Harbor on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, when Japanese aircraft began their attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet. A member of the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps for only two years, the thirty-two-year-old priest had been assigned to minister to the spiritual needs of the sailors on the Oklahoma for less than year. Despite the short time on board, he had endeared himself to the men and was known for his approachability, sense of humor, and willingness to serve them.

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