Michael "Mickey Ganitch" Ganitch grew up in Ohio and joined the U.S. Navy in early 1941, as he puts it, to dodge being drafted into the Army. Less than a year later, he had a front row seat for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor while in the crow's nest aboard the USS Pennsylvania as it sat in dry dock off Battleship Row.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Ganitch describes the attack in detail, how it could have been even worse, the refurbishing of the USS Pennsylvania and the key role it played in many invasions in the North Pacific. He also shares the harrowing story of the Pennsylvania getting struck by a Japanese torpedo and how he managed to survive.

Finally, Ganitch tells about his interesting role in atomic testing after World War II ended.