Francisco “Frank” Paredes of Atwater remembers the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor 81 years ago quite clearly — because he was there.
Paredes, 102, was a special guest Wednesday during a Remembrance Day ceremony at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District.
In an on-stage interview with Paul Loeffler, he recounted the intercom message from superior officers: “This is not a drill! This is not a drill! Man your stations!
“I didn’t have a station, so I manned the first machine gun I could find.”
Paredes said he soon realized the futility of that and drew his .45-caliber pistol to fire at the bomber planes making suicide runs.
“Sure, I was scared. But I was doing it for my country,” Paredes said.
With that, he rose from his walker and pulled back his jacket to show he was dressed in military fatigue proudly wearing his medals.
The ceremony to honor the 2,403 service members and civilians who were lost in the Dec. 7, 1941 attack also included presentation of colors by the Marine Corps League and a remembrance ceremony conducted by American Legion Post 147 and VFW Post 3225.
Similar events were held nationwide including at Tesoro Viejo in Madera County.
Francisco “Frank” Paredes, a survivor of the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, stands from his rolling walker to show off his military service ribbons while being interviewed by Hometown Heroes Radio creator and host Paul Loeffler during a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony a the Clovis Veterans Memorial District on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
Honor guard member Jim Holmes of the American Legion Post 147 takes a turn ringing the bell for the victims of the attacks on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 during a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony a the Clovis Veterans Memorial District on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
Military veterans and attendees stand to salute while remembering the victims of the attacks on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 during a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony a the Clovis Veterans Memorial District on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
Hometown Heroes Radio creator and host Paul Loeffler, left, interviews 102-year-old Francisco “Frank” Paredes, a survivor of the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, during a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony a the Clovis Veterans Memorial District on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
This story was originally published December 7, 2022 at 1:55 PM.
A native of Colorado, Jim Guy studied political science, Latin American politics and Spanish literature at Fresno State University, and advanced Spanish grammar in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
