SAN ANTONIO, Texas — On his birthday this year, his 96th, retired U.S. Navy Officer Clyde Eidson said there's only one thing that matters.
“What makes me happy? Breathing," he said.
For the 96-year-old, every breath is a gift and cause for celebration. Eidson came close to dying 77 years ago, having survived the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor that marked the U.S.'s entrance into World War II.
On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, 19-year-old Eidson was asleep in the barracks when Japanese warplanes started striking the base. The sirens woke him up as the bombs and bullets killed and wounded thousands.
"It's something that you never forget. You see all these terribly wounded people coming off these ships,” he said. “They caught fire and have had burns. It was a terrible experience for everybody."
He still remembers, in vivid detail, that historic Sunday morning and how by some stroke of luck he was able to survive.
"It was a thing where you look around and think, 'Where can I hide to keep these bullets from hitting me?'” he recalled. “I found a sewer line. I crawled in that."
Eidson was born in a small town in Kansas. By the time he was 17, he couldn't wait to leave home. His mom died when he was 10 years old, and his sisters began to take care of him.
"They lied about my age so I could join the Navy," he said. "I was scared, but I was real interested in submarines. I just liked it. So I said, ‘Heck, I might as well try that out.’"
Eidson went on to fight in the Battle of Midway and retired as a lieutenant commander after serving 31 years in the Navy. But when he thinks back to Pearl Harbor, he said he still has one regret.
"I really felt bad because I didn't have a gun that I could shoot back,” he said. “I wanted to do something. Even if it was nothing."
That day's events altered his life, but not his spirit.
"I carried it with me all of my life,” he said. “But it doesn’t haunt me. I know what happened. I saw what happened. It was very tough.”
Eidson celebrated his birthday on Friday with his wife of 40 years and family and friends. He was honored by the community and the VFW. This longtime sailor says lived a full life and also offered some advice.
"Join the Navy,” he said. “They not only give you the opportunity to see new places, they’ll take you there."