100-year-old veteran remembers Pearl Harbor attack

Joseph Iscovitz recalls shooting at Japanese aircraft

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. ā€“ The son of Jewish immigrants, Joseph Iscovitz grew up in Bayside, Queens.

He joined the Army Air Corps, which is now known as the Air Force, at 17, and was stationed at Fort Shafter on Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked the naval base at Pearl Harbor.

Iscovtiz, who is now 100, remembers that infamous day.

"I was there when they bombed the hell out of us," Iscovitz said. "I was in a foxhole with a machine gun. I was shooting at the Japanese aircraft."

Like many World War II veterans, IscovitzĀ rarely speaks about his experiences in the military. But over the years, he has shared bits of his story with his family.Ā 

"One of the Japanese pilots flew so low he looked him in the face and (he) remembered the mustache on his face," SteveĀ IscovitzĀ said about his fatherā€™s experience.

Joseph IscovitzĀ always emphasized the lives lost during the attack.Ā 

"My dad considered those who lost their lives the real heroes," Doug Iscovitz said.Ā 

In 2001, Doug Iscovitz and his father took a trip to Hawaii to visit Pearl Harbor. It was Joesph's Iscovitz's first trip back to the island.Ā 

The pair went to the USS Arizona, where the crew salutedĀ Joseph Iscovitz when he came onboard.Ā 

"He relived all those moments," Doug Iscovitz said. "He had tears running down his eyes when he saw the names of all the people who died."Ā 

The veteran also reflected on his feelings about the attack and told his son he was scared.Ā 

"He said it very matter of fact," Doug Iscovitz said. "He was very honest, and fear is something that is within us all. When the planes were flying all over the place it makes you feel like the world is ending, and he was scared, and he said they all were."Ā 

Joseph Iscovitz is proud of his service to the country, and plans on being laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in his formal military uniform, which includes medals he earned during his 24 years of service.Ā 


About the Authors:

In January 2017, Hatzel Vela became the first local television journalist in the country to move to Cuba and cover the island from the inside. During his time living and working in Cuba, heĀ covered some of the most significant stories in a post-Fidel Castro Cuba.Ā