From January 1919, when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, Austrian-born Peter Tomich worked slowly up the promotion ladder. By Dec. 7, 1941 he wore the chevrons of a chief petty officer and the hash-marks of an oldtimer. That day, C.P.O. Tomich was below, where he belonged, when the Japs began their attack on the old battleship Utah in her berth at Pearl Harbor.
He stayed below, getting out his men and securing his boilers while the Jap airmen, apparently thinking the Utah, a target ship, was a carrier, gave the craft...
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