Pearl Harbor Survivor Dies. Three Bismarck brothers at naval base on 'day of infamy'. May 06, 2009 - Daily Journal, Park Hills, MO Editors Note: Much of the information contained in this story is from a Daily Journal article printed Dec. 7, 2001. Carl Van Alstine, one of three Bismarck brothers who was at Pearl Harbor on that day of infamy, Dec. 7, 1941, died at his home in Affton last week. Carl Eugene, who was called Gene by friends and family, enlisted in the Marines in June after graduating from Bismarck High School in 1941. His oldest brother Alfred had already enlisted in the Navy in June of 1940 after his graduation. Their brother Robert (Bob) didn't like school and didn't want to wait another year to graduate. When Gene went to the Marines, Bob convinced his mother, Pearl, to let him join the Navy, like Alfred. All three would find themselves at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Gene had just come off of a duty rotation on the U.S.S. Arizona and had been reassigned to the U.S.S. Oklahoma. Both battleships were moored on Battleship Row with five others along the western shore of Ford Island. Gene would later tell his son the (Japanese) planes were close enough to hit with rocks. "We could see the faces of the pilots. We could hear the wooden deck splintering each time it was hit. And the roar of the planes and the bombs exploding," Gene said. "Man battle stations" was the cry on the Oklahoma, but there wasn't time. Two torpedoes hit the battleship and it began to list. Gene said that he saw water coming through the portholes. He ran to the deck, but could not get out there. Too many sailors were at the bow. He ran to the stern. The water was afire, and there was more than 100 yards to swim to safety, but he plunged in anyway. It was his only chance. Three torpedoes later, the Oklahoma capsized. Thirty-two men were trapped in its hull. Rescue efforts lasted for three days. Alfred got word to his mother that he was all right, but that Gene's ship had gone down and he was missing. Each day he would wait for the results of the Oklahoma rescue crew to return. And Alfred said that each day they would say, "We haven't found your brother, Van." The Arizona was hit with at least eight bombs in direct hits. At least one of those exploded a powder magazine, ripping the ship in two. It sank within nine minutes of the attack, killing 1,103 of the 1,400 men on board including seven of the eight replacement Marines for those who were transferred to the Oklahoma. As Gene was swimming for his life (from the Oklahoma), the explosion of the Arizona sent shrapnel, oil and flames into the water. It would burn for two days. When Gene made his way to shore at Ford Island he and others found a truckload of rifles and ammunition bandoliers. He and others attempted to set up a defense on Ford Island, but by the time they did, the attack was pretty much over. In a little less than two hours, the Japanese had devastated seven of the eight battleships. Three were beyond repair. It was days before Alfred would find Gene and let the rest of the family know he was OK. Gene spent some time in the Marine Barracks before being assigned to the U.S.S. Chicago and then the U.S.S. Indianapolis. He went with a task force to Wake Island. The three brothers made it through the entire war safely, and Gene came home to marry his sister Alice's best friend Ula. His wife and five children survive. Mr. Van Alstine was given a full military burial at Jefferson Barracks Cemetery April 27, 2009. ============================================= OBITUARY. Carl Eugene Van Alstine May 06, 2009 - Daily Journal. BISMARCK On Tuesday, afternoon, April 23, one of St. Francois County's Pearl Harbor Veterans, Carl Eugene Van Alstine, formerly of Bismarck, Mo., passed away peacefully at home, in Affton, Mo., in the presence of his family, after a lingering illness. "Gene", and two of his brothers, Alfred Van Alstine, and Gerald, "Jerry" Van Alstine were "there" when the "big booms" hit Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, starting World War II, and damaging some of our ships, and upsetting many lives. A full military burial at Jefferson Barracks in Missouri was given to "Gene"on Monday, April 27, 2009. He is survived by his wife, Eula Mae Van Alstine, of the home, children: Carl Jr., Barbara, William, Linda, and Janice, and sister, Mrs. Alice De Santis of St. Charles, Mo., and the two brothers who were with him at Pearl Harbor, Alfred Van Alstine, and Gerald, "Jerry" Van Alstine, and many friends who will always respect and miss him. Also nieces, nephews and other family members.