In 2016, The Times of North Little Rock published this account by Bill Burgin on his brother Hulin, who served in the U.S. Navy and was at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Hulin Burgin survived the war and died in 1966.
Hulin D. Burgin was 20 when he joined the Navy in 1940.
Born in Cato, in rural Pulaski County, Burgin was onboard the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941
"I was age 11 when the war started," Bill Burgin said. "We learned by radio of the attack and that the USS Oklahoma had been heavily damaged but knew no details."
In this era of instant communication it seems almost unthinkable now but Burgin and his family didn't know if Hulin was dead or alive, "and we didn't hear from him for six week" as the family assumed the worst.
A Christmas package mailed on Dec. 16 arrived at Cato and it was followed by a letter "a few days later."
Hulin Burgin died in 1966 and is buried at the Cato Cemetery.
Bill Burgin compiled a family history of his brother's service and portions follow.
The USS Oklahoma was moored in Battleship Row when the Japanese attacked. Outboard alongside USS Maryland. The Oklahoma took three torpedo hits almost immediately after the first Japanese bombs fell. As she began to capsize, two more torpedoes struck home, and her men were strafed as they abandoned ship. Within 20 minutes after the attack began, she had swung over until halted by her masts touching bottom, her starboard side above water, and a part of her keel clear. Many of her crew, however, remained in the fight, clambering aboard Maryland to help serve her antiaircraft batteries. Twenty officers and 395 enlisted men were either killed or missing, 32 others wounded, and many were trapped within the capsized hull, to be saved by heroic rescue efforts. Such an effort was that of Julio DeCastro, a civilian yard worker who organized the team which saved 32 Oklahoma sailors.
Hulin was taking a shower near his bunk that Sunday morning when the torpedoes hit. He ran topside to man his battle station while still naked or just in his underwear.. By the time he reached the deck, it was turning over on its side and he jumped overboard and swam in and under burning oil to the USS Maryland. He was singed but no deep burns. He said all his skin peeled off later. He lost all his belongings including his shoes and was unable to get shoes to fit on his new ship, the USS Blue, (he wore size 13) so he went barefoot for 6 weeks. Mail was in disarray. It was six weeks before his family heard from him.
The Oklahoma was stripped of its guns after being towed to California and only sunk in the Pacific Ocean between San Francisco and Hawaii.
After the Oklahoma, Hulin Burgin was assigned to the USS Blue, a destroyer.
In a letter back to his family he wrote, , "I went aboard [the Blue] and went to the Gilbert Islands and gave the Japs some of their own medicine. The task force I was in sunk fourteen Jap ships February 17, 1942. I was the first shellman on gun #3."
Apparently damaged in the pursuit, it went back to Mare Island, California in April 1942 for repairs. At that time, he was transferred to the USS Raleigh, which arrived there from Pearl Harbor for final repairs after the damage in the Japanese attack. A letter from him dated June 6, 1942 he wrote,, "I really have been having a good time here in California since I have been here. I just might as well, because a fellow in my situation cannot tell what might happen these days."
The Blue was lost at the Battle of Savo Island and was scuttled in what became known as the "Iron Bottom Sound".
The Raleigh was a light cruiser and Burgin was assigned to the ship in April or May of 1942. While he was there, the ship took part in the bombardment and landings of Attu as well as the bombardment of Kiska and and Paramushiro in the Kuriles.
Burgin was transferred to the USS Gambier Bay, an aircraft carrier, in 1944, where he was an Aircraft Electrician. The ship took troops to Pearl Harbor, then 84 replacement planes to the USS Enterprise along with ferrying parts and pilots to the Enterprise and other ships.
The Gambier Bay was sunk in October 1944 but Hulin Burgin had returned to the mainland for aircraft tech school and was not aboard.
Burgin's Naval enlistment ended in 1946 and then joined the newly formed Air Force where he served in Germany and the Berlin Airlift.
He was discharged in 1961 after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease and died in 1966.
"It is sad he died," Bill Burgin said. "Nowadays, the treatment would have cured him. The only treatment in those days was deep x-ray therapy."
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Remembering Pearl Harbor
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In 2016, The Times of North Little Rock published this account by Bill Burgin on his brother Hulin, who served in the U.S. Navy and was at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Hulin Burgin survived the war and died in 1966.
Hulin D. Burgin was 20 when he joined the Navy in 1940.
Born in Cato, in rural Pulaski County, Burgin was onboard the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941
"I was age 11 when the war started," Bill Burgin said. "We learned by radio of the attack and that the USS Oklahoma had been heavily damaged but knew no details."
In this era of instant communication it seems almost unthinkable now but Burgin and his family didn't know if Hulin was dead or alive, "and we didn't hear from him for six week" as the family assumed the worst.
A Christmas package mailed on Dec. 16 arrived at Cato and it was followed by a letter "a few days later."
Hulin Burgin died in 1966 and is buried at the Cato Cemetery.
Bill Burgin compiled a family history of his brother's service and portions follow.
The USS Oklahoma was moored in Battleship Row when the Japanese attacked. Outboard alongside USS Maryland. The Oklahoma took three torpedo hits almost immediately after the first Japanese bombs fell. As she began to capsize, two more torpedoes struck home, and her men were strafed as they abandoned ship. Within 20 minutes after the attack began, she had swung over until halted by her masts touching bottom, her starboard side above water, and a part of her keel clear. Many of her crew, however, remained in the fight, clambering aboard Maryland to help serve her antiaircraft batteries. Twenty officers and 395 enlisted men were either killed or missing, 32 others wounded, and many were trapped within the capsized hull, to be saved by heroic rescue efforts. Such an effort was that of Julio DeCastro, a civilian yard worker who organized the team which saved 32 Oklahoma sailors.
Hulin was taking a shower near his bunk that Sunday morning when the torpedoes hit. He ran topside to man his battle station while still naked or just in his underwear.. By the time he reached the deck, it was turning over on its side and he jumped overboard and swam in and under burning oil to the USS Maryland. He was singed but no deep burns. He said all his skin peeled off later. He lost all his belongings including his shoes and was unable to get shoes to fit on his new ship, the USS Blue, (he wore size 13) so he went barefoot for 6 weeks. Mail was in disarray. It was six weeks before his family heard from him.
The Oklahoma was stripped of its guns after being towed to California and only sunk in the Pacific Ocean between San Francisco and Hawaii.
After the Oklahoma, Hulin Burgin was assigned to the USS Blue, a destroyer.
In a letter back to his family he wrote, , "I went aboard [the Blue] and went to the Gilbert Islands and gave the Japs some of their own medicine. The task force I was in sunk fourteen Jap ships February 17, 1942. I was the first shellman on gun #3."
Apparently damaged in the pursuit, it went back to Mare Island, California in April 1942 for repairs. At that time, he was transferred to the USS Raleigh, which arrived there from Pearl Harbor for final repairs after the damage in the Japanese attack. A letter from him dated June 6, 1942 he wrote,, "I really have been having a good time here in California since I have been here. I just might as well, because a fellow in my situation cannot tell what might happen these days."
The Blue was lost at the Battle of Savo Island and was scuttled in what became known as the "Iron Bottom Sound".
The Raleigh was a light cruiser and Burgin was assigned to the ship in April or May of 1942. While he was there, the ship took part in the bombardment and landings of Attu as well as the bombardment of Kiska and and Paramushiro in the Kuriles.
Burgin was transferred to the USS Gambier Bay, an aircraft carrier, in 1944, where he was an Aircraft Electrician. The ship took troops to Pearl Harbor, then 84 replacement planes to the USS Enterprise along with ferrying parts and pilots to the Enterprise and other ships.
The Gambier Bay was sunk in October 1944 but Hulin Burgin had returned to the mainland for aircraft tech school and was not aboard.
Burgin's Naval enlistment ended in 1946 and then joined the newly formed Air Force where he served in Germany and the Berlin Airlift.
He was discharged in 1961 after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease and died in 1966.
"It is sad he died," Bill Burgin said. "Nowadays, the treatment would have cured him. The only treatment in those days was deep x-ray therapy."