Ex-PH2 sends a link to the sad news that Joseph John Triolo, the last known Pearl Harbor veteran of Lake County, Illinois has passed at the age of 97.
“When I got to my gun station, the ammunition boxes were closed. I couldn’t open ’em,” he said. “So the gunner’s mate finally came up, and I says, ‘You gotta get the keys to these ready boxes.’ So he got the keys and he opened them up.
“I got the machine gun going. I was firing on the plane that sunk the Utah. I could see that pilot in the cockpit very plainly. And I observed the roll of the Utah as the ship rolled over — it almost rolled over instantly. As it rolled over, those men that got out of the hull, they followed the turn of the ship until they went into the water, then they swam ashore.”
Triolo, a native of West Virginia, saw the Navy as his way out of working in the coal mines. He went on to finish his career in the Navy at 38 years old and as a chief boatswain’s mate and a Korean War veteran, too. After the Navy he became a teacher in the North Chicago School District for 21 years.
He’ll be returning to West Virginia for his final journey and eternal rest.
Fair winds and following seas Chief.
Say hello to my Dad for me.
Fair winds and following seas, Chief. See you next time around.
Rest in Peace.
Rest in Peace, Chief. We’ll take the watch from here on out. Thank you for your 38 years of Navy service.
Chief…you had a long, full life, now enjoy eternity with Jesus!!
May God Bless you and your family, you are a true hero!
Now that is a life!
Rest in peace, shipmate.
I can’t imagine what it must have been like to have a Chief Boats as a teacher! LOL!
A true hero. Rest in well deserved peace Sir.
Good grief…this man LIVED history. Rest easy Chief, we got the watch
God bless, Chief.
United States Navy Chief Petty Officer, departing.
A life well lived. Godspeed, Chief
A life well lived.
Fair Winds and Following Seas Shipmate!
What a generation of men and women! RIP Joseph John Triolo. Also RIP to my uncle, Joseph Pike, who was also at Pearl Harbor (ashore attending Mass at the time of the attack) and went on fight other battles in the Pacific.
Rest In Peace Elder Warrior, you’ve earned your place in History and Valhalla. Enjoy it, you did your time in Hell.
Rest well, Chief.
Rest In Peace Chief
RIP Chief