SIGforum.com Main Page The Lounge WWII nurse, age 106, donates bullet from husband's heart to Pearl Harbor museum
Main Page The Lounge WWII nurse, age 106, donates bullet from husband's heart to Pearl Harbor museumGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
Oriental Redneck |
Just a nice Saturday morning story to warm your heart. And, the lady looks great for 106.  https://www.foxnews.com/travel...-pearl-harbor-museum By Genevieve Shaw Brown / Fox News Published September 27, 2025 8:00am EDT A lifelong story of love and service has been brought into the public eye through a compelling donation to a World War II-related museum. At 106 years old, Alice Beck Darrow, a former nurse, knows more than most about survival. So did her husband, Dean Darrow. The pair met while she was caring for him at Mare Island Naval Hospital in California in 1942. The young sailor had survived the deadly attack on the USS West Virginia on Dec. 7, 1941. That ship was sunk by six torpedoes and two bombs, according to the National Park Service. One hundred and six people were killed in the attack. While Darrow survived the actual bombing, he was shot as he tried to board a rescue boat.  It was several months later that doctors discovered that a bullet was still lodged in his body. Darrow needed to have the bullet removed from his heart. Before surgery, he asked his nurse, Alice Beck, "If I make it through, will you go out with me?" She said yes. He survived the surgery — and the two were married that same year. The bullet became a cherished object for the couple, Beck Darrow said. It was a reminder of the circumstances that brought them together.  The couple raised four children in California and were married for nearly 50 years. She kept the bullet safe throughout their years together, as well as long after her husband's passing in 1991. Beck Darrow donated the bullet to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial Museum on Sept. 18, 2025. She did so on that date because that's when she was staying overnight in Honolulu as part of a 28-day cruise itinerary on Holland America's Westerdam, she said. The moment was "deeply emotional" for her, she said in a statement. "Holding onto the bullet all these years meant a great deal, but it truly belongs to those who served and sacrificed, and to all who can understand its significance, not just to Dean and me," she said. "I knew it was the right decision." The ship's captain, Vincent Smit, said Holland America was "humbled to play even a small role in helping her complete this journey." Beck Darrow is one of the last living links to the attack on Pearl Harbor. In 2024, she was honored for her role as a nurse. She said last year, "Always have something to look forward to. It gets your body and mind ready for what’s next," as WTVU reported. Now, regarding the donation of her personal memento, she said, "I think Dean would feel that returning the bullet to Pearl Harbor is the right thing to do. It honors so many, and I know he would agree it’s the right place for it." Q | ||
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An example of why they are referred to as "The Greatest Generation"! End of Earth: 2 Miles Upper Peninsula: 4 Miles | |||
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| Staring back from the abyss  |
So...friendly fire? I can't imagine that the zeros were firing that caliber. Not judging, just curious. Nice story either way. I'm sure there was a lot of lead flying around that morning. ETA: I stand corrected. Apparently they used a 7.7mm gun. Huh...learn something new every day. ________________________________________________________ It is long past time for a Convention of States. The Founding Fathers gave us this tool to fix an out of control government and we need to use it. | |||
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His Royal Hiney |
That's a big ass bullet! "It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946. | |||
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Member |
Nah, it was in his heart. His last name isn't Gump  Nice story, though. Wouldn't have guessed she was >100 The Enemy's gate is down. | |||
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| Member |
The Japanese Zero machine guns used a 7.7 x58 with a bullet weight of up to 200 grains. | |||
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| half-genius, half-wit |
I find that my screen has gone kinda fuzzy. What a story. OP, I've stolen this for a UK-based form, I hope you won't mind. | |||
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Shaman |
And the Japanese strafing Americans in the water is why we went to doing it too. But with a vengeance.  He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. | |||
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| Freethinker |
One of the least egregious violations by Japan of international law, including the Hague Conventions to which Japan was a signatory. ► 6.0/94.0 “I can’t give you brains, but I can give you a diploma.” — The Wizard of Oz | |||
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| The Main Thing Is Not To Get Excited  |
An early application of FAFO. _______________________ | |||
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| It's all part of the adventure... |
What a nice story; God bless her! Thanks 12131 for sharing it with us. Regards From Sunny Tucson, SigFan NRA Life - IDPA - USCCA - GOA - JPFO - ACLDN - SAF - AZCDL - ASA "Faith isn't believing that God can; it's knowing that He will." (From a sign on a church in Nicholasville, Kentucky) | |||
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| I have not yet begun to procrastinate |
Very cool story Q! I thought my mom had seen a bunch, she just turned 99 a few days ago. 106 is unbelievable! -------- After the game, the King and the pawn go into the same box. | |||
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SIGforum.com Main Page The Lounge WWII nurse, age 106, donates bullet from husband's heart to Pearl Harbor museum
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