Irving W Halleran
USN Pearl Harbor
Survivor CL 46
Irving William “Bill” Halleran of North Merrick, Long Island, NY was born in 1918. Bill was a Pearl Harbor survivor and a Yeoman aboard the USS Phoenix CL-46. He was one of five Pearl Harbor Survivors still living in Long Island. He gave 60 years of service to the Volunteer Fire Department and was an involved member in the American Legion Post 1282 and Floral Park Masons. Bill was a father, grandfather and great grandfather at the time of his death in 2011.
During his time he enjoyed sharing his stories. At 07:55 7 December,1941, Bill was doing his laundry when it all happened. During a visit to Riverside Elementary in Riverside, IA some students got to ask him some questions about his experience. Bill thought that the scariest part was the subs and Kamikaze’s coming at him and feeling like a sitting duck. There were 372 Japanese planes flying and the attack lasted for two hours costing eight battleships, 170 plans and other ships. During the attack Irving shot and hit some enemy planes and learned a life lesson that peace is better than war.
The most exciting part to Bill was coming home. He says he cried when he saw the Golden Gate Bridge. When asked if WWII changed his life he responded with, yes, I was thankful to sleep in a bed, take a shower in fresh water and have enough food again. His shoes had been his pillow and food was scarce at the end. It was good to eat any time he felt like it and go anywhere.
Bill enjoyed everywhere he traveled, however the natives on the island of Zamboanga were the most interesting. Even though Mr. Halleran did not really like to discuss the war, he thought it is important for the younger generations to know the nation’s history. Bill left the Navy because he had met his future wife and decided that she was more attractive.
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