Fred Hamelrath calls Dec. 7, 1941, "the day I grew up."

Nick Gaynos described the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that day as "hell on earth."

Today is the 70th anniversary of what President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed as "a date which will live in infamy," and survivors Hamelrath, Gaynos and Charlie Imus still remember it vividly.

"You don't forget it," said Hamelrath, who served in the Navy and lives in Hayden. "I had the good fortune of not having my ship sunk (the USS Tangier) under me, but I still remember all the casualties and damage. It was hard to accept and hard to believe at the time."

Four U.S. Navy battleships were sunk and all four of the other battleships present were damaged; 2,402 personnel were killed and 1,282 were wounded. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship and one minelayer.

The U.S. declared war on Japan the next day, resulting in its entrance into World War II.

Hamelrath and Gaynos and Imus, both of Post Falls, are among a dwindling list of Pearl Harbor survivors. Here are some of their thoughts about today and what they remember about Dec. 7, 1941.

FRED HAMELRATH

Hamelrath, 89, was just 11 days shy of his 20th birthday during the attack. He had just finished eating and was in the engine room of the lower level of the Tangier.

"I was on one of the few ships that didn't get hit," he said. "All I could hear was the noise. I didn't see anything until after the attack. A few of us went up to the deck and we could see all the carnage.

"It was a horrible sight, and it's hard to believe it's been a lifetime since it happened."

Hamelrath, who retired as a commander in 1970 after 30 years in the military, has a picture in his home that was taken from a Japanese plane of the leveled harbor. He counts his blessings as he can see the Tangier, a seaplane tender, in the photo.

"I look at the picture every day," he said. "I still remember all of the fellows lost. Our ship was very fortunate."

Each anniversary of the attack has Hamelrath hoping that the country won't let it happen again.

"People get very complacent over the years, and we get caught with our pants down," he said. "There will always be evil in the world, and you never know what's going to develop."

The Fireman 2nd Class arose early on Dec. 7, 1941, and went on deck to take in the quiet morning and sunshine about 7 a.m.

It was the last time Oahu would look like that. Just before 8 a.m., the world would change forever.

For the next few hours, while his ship was straddled by bombs and strafed by gunfire from waves of Japanese planes, Hamelrath remained below, taking care of the water pumps.

"They must have been armor-piercing because they went down into the mud before they exploded," he said. "We could feel it when the Arizona exploded. Of course, at that time, we didn't know it was the Arizona."

The Tangier's gunners downed three planes and had an assist on a two-man submarine.

When Hamelrath returned topside, smoke and fire were everywhere.

Ford Island, a Naval air station, was in shambles. All of the hangars were leveled.

He looked toward USS Utah, which just hours earlier had been next to Tangier, and saw only its hull.

"She was bottom up," he said. "It was frightening."

To this day, Hamelrath remains convinced the higher levels of the U.S. government and military knew of the coming sneak attack.

"It was somewhat of a surprise, but not completely," he said. "The word had been put out that something was going to happen."

CHARLIE IMUS

Seaman 2nd Class Imus, 21 at the time, was walking down stairs from the barracks to a mess hall on Ford Island when the attack began.

"No breakfast that day," recalled the 91-year-old.

During the first attack, personnel were ordered to remain in their barracks until there was a lull, Imus said.

"From my bunk, you could look out and see the battleships," Imus said.

Afterward, he was instructed to report to the hangars where the airplanes were.

"I did get a rifle and fired a few rounds at a Japanese airplane," he said. "All of our (grounded) planes were destroyed except for one."

Imus said barracks on the island became a hospital to treat injured sailors.

"The barracks became a pure mess with guys who had jumped in the water and swam through the oil and flames," he said.

The Battle of Wake Island began simultaneously with the attack on Pearl Harbor and ended on Dec. 23, 1941, with the American surrender to Japan.

Imus retired in 1961 after 20 years in the Navy. He often recalls the events of Pearl Harbor.

"It runs through my mind," he said.

Imus said he feels appreciated these days for having served.

"If people see me with my Navy ball cap that has 1941 on it, they ask me about it and thank me for my service," he said. "That pleases me."

To this day, Imus said he still chooses to not purchase a Japanese vehicle.

"It was a cowardly sneak attack," he said.

NICK GAYNOS

Gaynos, who was a radio chief in the Army's 407th Signal Aviation Company, has kept shrapnel from a Japanese aerial torpedo that narrowly missed him at Hickam Field.

"I felt that I faced my maker for the first time in my life that day," Gaynos said. "And He stood by me because it was hell on earth."

He had gone to bed at 4:30, and the attack came at 7:55. At first, Gaynos thought it was a mock raid by the Marines. But the bullets spraying into the barracks and red circle on the airplanes said otherwise.

After he learned radio equipment had been shattered by enemy fire, Gaynos' focus became gathering vehicles and soda pop since water was rumored to be poisoned.

He later found himself ducking enemy fire from a small hole during a second attack.

"I emptied my .45 time after time right into their planes, but it was futile," he said.

He said three men nearby with machine guns were shooting at a plane when a bomb almost landed on them.

"It blew them sky high - gun and all," Gaynos said.

Gaynos went to the pit to see what he could do.

"One fella was covered with dirt and smiling, so I tried to pick him up," Gaynos said as his voice quivered. "But he didn't make it while he was in my arms. I had trouble handling that."

Gaynos spent much of the day administering first aid and transporting the wounded and dead to the hospital.

"It was a very traumatic experience, and I was running on adrenaline," he said.

Today, the 93-year-old thanks God every day that he's alive.

"I've just got to be thankful that the Lord has given me more time on earth," Gaynos said. "My reflection is for the ones we lost."

Gaynos said he got to know the Japanese during the Occupation.

"I followed the peace part of it," he said. "They are now our ally, and we need every ally we can get in the Far East. I have no ill feelings, but at that time I did. I don't think we'll ever get over it."