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| David Willis, program chair and Lester Hartley, Pearl Harbor Suvivor. |
Lester Hartley joined the U.S. Navy on September 6,
1940. On November 11, 1940 he was
assigned to the USS Jarvis, a destroyer.
They sailed from Seattle, Washington to San Diego, California and then
west to Hawaii. On December 6, 1941, the
Jarvis was in port at Pearl Harbor for routine maintenance. Lester Hartley received orders to be
transported back to the mainland to enroll in Navy Diesel School. He presented his orders to receive transportation
but was told to return to his ship.
Lester told the Kiwanians, “I guess you know what happened the next day.”
From the machine room on the Jarvis, Lester heard planes
buzzing nearby ships and saw them drop something. He said they were always doing maneuvers and
gave it no mind until he saw more planes and debris and smoke. About that time general quarters was sounded
and Lester reported to the Number 4 Gun where he shot at incoming enemy
planes. Lester stated that, “He did not
see any ships hit by torpedoes or bombs because everyone had too much to do to
stand around and watch.”
The Jarvis made its way out of the harbor and Lester was
safe. He did receive an injury when a
watertight door shut on his wrist but no harm from combat. In January, 1942 the Jarvis rescued 187 men
from the torpedoed fleet oiler Neches.
Later that year Hartley received orders to report to Diesel School at
Norfolk, Virginia. He made it there this
time. The Jarvis was part of the Guadalcanal
campaign and on August 8, 1942 was attacked and sunk in the Pacific. None of the 233 men on the Jarvis
survived.
Hartley continued in the Navy until his discharge on November
3, 1946 and later enlisted in the Naval Reserves where he served his country
for another 18 years. Hartley worked for
Detroit Diesel Allison in Indianapolis and currently resides in Hancock
County. He was active in the National
Pearl Harbor Survivors Association until that organization ceased existence on
December 31, 2011.
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