Pearl Harbor survivor brings Vikings fans to their feet

Pearl Harbor survivor Richard Thill of St. Paul waves to the crowd of 52,152 who rose to their feet at the Vikings-Jets game and cheered in unison, USA! USA!

Richard Thill survived Pearl Harbor and waited 73 years for an ovation many of his comrades would never hear. So a stubbornly long New York Jets drive and icy wind at TCF Bank Stadium could not ruin his moment.

The Vikings salute military veterans during the first television timeout of the second quarter each home game. Thill was a special honoree Sunday, Dec. 7 -- a solemn anniversary in U.S. history, one he hopes never fades from memory.

The 91-year-old St. Paul native was introduced with a video tribute that included an interview and familiar black-and-white newsreels that showed the destruction caused by the Japanese surprise attack.

With the aid of a walker, Thill stood in the east end zone, smiled broadly and waved to the crowd of 52,152, which rose to its feet and cheered in unison -- "USA! USA!"

"That was outstanding, to say the least," Thill said later.

Earlier Sunday, Thill was the guest of honor at a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony at the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs hosted by the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and the Fort Snelling National Cemetery Memorial Rifle Squad.

Mike McElhiney, legislative director for the veterans affairs department, spoke of how stories about the attack and the war affected his life and military career.

"Although I am younger than most people in this room, it still resonates with me," McElhiney said.

After the ceremony, Thill said talking about the attack still made him emotional.

"If I talk about it, I'll cry," he said. "I pray for those who were lost, I still do."

Thill is president and chaplain of the Minnesota chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. There once were three chapters with 500 survivors. Thill and his treasurer are the last in the state.

"It's kind of lonesome," he said. "They've all died just about.

Pearl Harbor survivor Richard Thill signs a book about the USS Ward for Bill Wheeler of Shoreview. Thill was one of a group of group of Minnesotans to serve on the USS Ward, which sank a Japanese sub hours before the attack. (Pioneer Press: Christopher Magan)

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Thill was 17 when he joined the Naval Reserve and was stationed in Hawaii in January 1941, earning $21 per month. He was a communications officer on the destroyer, USS Ward, which was patrolling the front of the harbor the morning of the attack.

His ship sank a Japanese mini-submarine before the air raid commenced, a coordinated attack that killed almost 2,400 Americans and drew the United States into World War II.

Shots fired from the USS Ward are considered the first by the U.S. in World War II. The ship's gun now sits on the grounds of the veterans affairs building.

Thill said his base was ill-equipped to counterattack the fighter planes that dove to about 50 feet above the water before firing their ammunition and dropping bombs.

St. Paul native and Pearl Harbor survivor Richard Thill received a standing nice ovation from fans at the Vikings-Jets game Sunday. (Pioneer Press: Nick Ferraro)

"You could see two planes side-by-side coming in. We had a lot of old World War I machine guns that would jam up all the time. We were behind the times," he said.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day at TCF Bank Stadium included a B-25 flyover carrying World War II veterans Roger Rand of North Oaks, Minn., Jim Carroll of Bloomington and former Vikings coach Bud Grant.

"I couldn't see anything," Grant said about his quick flight. "Those are for dropping bombs, not flying passengers."

Thill served five years in the Navy before returning to St. Paul and taking a job as a lineman at Northern States Power Co. He survived Pearl Harbor without a scratch but lost parts of three fingers on his right hand after being electrocuted.

Thill still speaks to elementary and high school history students whenever he can about his experiences on Dec. 7, 1941, the worst attack on U.S. soil until 9/11.

Thill was asked how he has survived the subsequent 73 years.

"I don't smoke, but I drink beer. That's what keeps me going," he said.

Follow Brian Murphy at twitter.com/murphPPress. Murphy talks Vikings at 2:35 p.m. Mondays on WCCO-AM.

Staff writer Christopher Magan contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_27088112/pearl-harbor-survivor-brings-vikings-fans-their-feet