"No animosity toward us at all, not even a dirty look. They just got out of your way." (Audio Interview, Part 2, 13:28)

Raymond Albert Brittain

Raymond Brittain, San Francisco, California, ca. 1943. War: World War II, 1939-1946 Branch: Navy Unit: USS Tennessee, LST-17, LST-12 Service Location: Naval Training Station, San Diego, California; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Attu Island (Aleutian Islands); Coral Sea; Midway; Tarawa Atoll (Gilbert Islands); Kwajalein Island (Marshall Islands); Washington, DC; Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands); Okinawa Island (Ryukyu Islands); Manila Bay (Philippines) Rank: Fire Controlman Second Class Place of Birth: San Diego, CA

Raymond Brittain witnessed both ends of America's involvement in the war. His ship was on Battleship Row during the December 7th attack on Pearl Harbor, and he was in Japan immediately after the surrender to witness the havoc that U.S. bombers had caused there. Brittain had the right to feel animosity toward the Japanese after he saw firsthand the human cost of their sneak attack, but four years later, he found them to be submissive and deferential in defeat.