John Musgrove holds the "bosun pipe" that he used on the Dobbin when he served at Pearl Harbor. The pipe emits a shrill whistle, the sound used to summon the crew. "We were the guys that they disliked quite a bit," he recalled good-naturedly. He is also wearing his American Legion hat.

Sparta man looks back on Pearl Harbor experiences

"Remember Pearl Harbor?"

A Sparta man does. He was there, a sailor stationed aboard one of the ships anchored in the Hawaiian port when the Japanese attacked.

John Musgrove remembers the attack, the destruction as well as the feelings of shock and helplessness he and the other Americans there went through. That recollection is part of a wealth of memories Musgrove has of his experiences before, during and after World War II.

He was born and raised in Alleghany County, growing up in the Stratford community. He graduated high school here in 1935. There were 32 in his graduating class, Musgrove said; 15 of his classmates are still alive. Just after graduation, he and one of his classmates, Fred Williams, left home and joined a CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) camp. "We worked on the Appalachian Trail for quite a ways from the Virginia line into Tennessee," he said. One of the big projects was building the Backbone Rock picnic area near Damascus, Va.

The effort was similar to work on the Blue Ridge Parkway which was going on at about the same time through a camp at Laurel Springs.

Musgrove spent two years at the CCC camp in Tennessee. "We were paid $30 a month; $25 went to the folks at home." CCC furnished clothing and food, however.

He said of the group's work, "A lot of it is under water now. They dammed the Holston River."

The camps were operated by the Army and run in a military manner. That helped prepare Musgrove for his next employment, as he joined the U.S. Navy in 1937. Navy Days

He was stationed on the Dobbin, a destroyer-tender ship. Musgrove remembered a scare one night in 1938, when the Navy was on maneuvers — that is, war games — near Hawaii. About 150 ships were in formation, moving at only about 10 or 12 miles per hour, in blackout condition, when a freighter came through the middle of the fleet.

"Here comes a ship coming right through the others. I was on watch. After 20 or 25 minutes, the Pennsylvania lit up....The guy probably figured he ran aground." Musgrove said it was amazing that no collision occurred during the incident.

The next year a disappointment was put in perspective. The Navy's battleships were pulled out and headed for the World's Fair in New York City. The Dobbin, however had to go in for major repairs in San Francisco, Calif. "I was pushed out of shape, along with the other guys, because we didn't get to go to the World's Fair," he said.

"I felt better about it after things changed in Europe dramatically."

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