The USS Indianapolis was sunk in July 1945.
Louis “Kayo” Erwin
Clarksville, Tenn., resident Ed HarrellSixty-six years later, Clarksville, Tenn., resident Ed Harrell and East Ridge resident Kayo Erwin Sr. still have the same flashbacks.
After returning from World War II, when former Marine Cpl. Harrell would drive his ’37 Ford to railroad tracks and hear a train coming, his wife would have to calm him.
Former sailor Erwin would wake from a nightmare. Not wanting to disturb his wife, he’d sneak out of bed until he could relax and return.
Before speaking to a group of seniors at Ooltewah Baptist Church this week, Harrell made himself relive the night of July 30, 1945, when the USS Indianapolis sank. He recalled sleeping on a gun turret because, even at midnight, the heat, combined with the ship’s lack of air conditioning or ventilation, made it unbearable to sleep in the decks below.
He relived how, 12 minutes after the Japanese torpedoes ripped open the cruiser, only 900 men out of the about 1,200 on board made it off the ship.