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Virginia Beach veteran remembers Pearl Harbor attack as impetus to serve at 18 years old

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Posted at 10:42 PM, Dec 07, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-07 22:42:53-05

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The Pearl Harbor attack shaped the lives of an entire generation.

News 3 sat down with a World War II veteran who was driven to serve immediately after hearing the news.

Staff Sgt. Stewart Boone was just 17 on Dec. 7, 1941, but he pushed to immediately join the U.S. Army despite being too young.

This picture of Boone is from Aug. 29, 1942, the day he turned 18 - when he officially joined the Army and began to serve our country.

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Staff Sgt. Stewart Boone

The following photo is of the "Lucky 11" - only 11 members of his unit (10 men and one officer) made it out from the Battle of the Bulge on Dec. 16, 1944.

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The Lucky 11

Boone recalled going to school the next day after the news.

"Monday morning when we're in school, and this has happened Sunday in a class on the second floor of the high school, and I look out the window glassy-eyed - no doubt that I don't know what that means to us,” Boone said. “You know, we're peacefully living here and a surprise comes to change our lifestyle and our lives. It was to prepare for war and revenge."

Boone was a member of the 99th Infantry Division and received three battle stars.

Click here for more coverage on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.