Pearl Rutledge has kept this manuscript that was given to her from Tom Brown, a sailor who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor.
"There was blood all over the deck and they were slipping and sliding in it," said Rutledge.
It's been 70 years since she first read Brown's words.
"...and all of a sudden they heard that drone of the planes coming in and before they knew it they had all the planes coming in and before they knew it they had dropped all kinds of bombs and alienated a lot of the whole fleet," said Rutledge.
To this day, Rutledge still tears up at his account of serving on the light cruiser St. Louis that was docked at Pearl Harbor.
"...the men were jumping into the water and the water was on fire from the oil and it was hell he describes hell then," said Rutledge.
Rutledge met Brown when she was a dancer who was traveling to entertain the troops. They had a few dates, but lost touch. After marrying a navy pilot and several children and great grandchildren later, she holds onto Brown's words.
"Those men didn't talk about it much when they came back I learned a lot listening to them talk when they got together," said Rutledge.
Rutledge remembers the shock of pearl harbor that brought together our country and 7 decades later, still feels the sadness and tragedy felt on December 7, 1941.
