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          Foundation Logo USS Arizona Memorial Foundation


       



 

MEET  LAUREN  F.  BRUNER

SECOND TO THE LAST TO LEAVE
& LAST TO RETURN TO USS ARIZONA

 
   
 
 

SECOND TO THE LAST TO LEAVE

On the fateful morning of 7 December 1941, battleship USS Arizona, carrying her crew of 1,512 men, was attacked and bombed by the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces. As the battleship sunk to her fiery death, only 335 of her crew made it out alive, and today, only five survivors remain.

Lauren F. Bruner was the Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona, and his escape from the ship is considered by Military historians to be "Arizona's Greatest Escape." He escaped with burns covering over 73 percent of his body, but he lives today to tell his story.

"Second to the Last to Leave USS Arizona" is Lauren Bruner's best-selling memoir, and is the most detailed account of the attack on Pearl Harbor you will ever read. The book is over 500 pages in length and has over thirty pieces of original artwork. You will not only have the opportunity to experience what it was like to live aboard USS Arizona in this book, but you will also get to meet Lauren Bruner up close and personal.



 
 
 

READ THE PROLOGUE

    A cool spray of water hit Fire Controlman Third Class Lauren F. Bruner’s burned torso as the saltwater bit at his exposed nerves.
   More important concerns arose, as the Navy motor launch navigated through oil-fueled fires, dead and dismembered bodies—and sharks.

   Early in the morning, USS Vestal’s launch had been a simple Liberty boat for sailors. That designation ended in an instant, less than an hour prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

    Orders from Vestal’s captain had been to “…get these two burnt bastards to Solace, straightaway!”
    “Doesn’t look like either will make it.”

    Adrenaline pumped through Bruner’s veins. Burned over seventy-three percent of his body; he knew death was closer than life. Pain was the last thing on Bruner’s mind. Fellow crew member Alvin Dvorak was seated next to him. They had just escaped off USS Arizona

    Bombed and still being strafed, their ship had already sunk into the shallow depths of Pearl Harbor’s Battleship Row."


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READ THE REVIEWS

"“Bruner’s book should be required reading for anyone seeking to commit Sailors into battle, and any officer or Sailor who might go into battle. It is the most brutally honest description of what happens to men aboard ship in a battle gone bad."

Rear Admiral Samuel Cox
Director - U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command




"The bravery of those who were sacrificed and the determination of those who survived the Attack on Pearl Harbor must not be lost to history. Lauren Bruner’s story and the extraordinary details of his personal involvement are the ingredients that make his writing come alive. It is history in vivid detail."

Hershel “Woody” Williams, US Marine Chief Warrant Officer
World War II Medal of Honor Recipient - Battle of Iwo Jima




"This book is as close as anyone will ever get to being aboard USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. It shares in truth and absolute detail our crew's fight to stay alive. I know this to be true as I was there fighting for my own life. Lauren Bruner has done an outstanding job in honoring our crew and our ship in leaving to history this gift of USS Arizona. Speaking for the ship's crew, I want him to know how proud we are of him for telling our story."

Lou Conter, Quartermaster 3/c
USS Arizona Crew Member & Survivor




"This is a really good story and I guess I should know, because I was on USS Arizona with Lauren all those years ago. I have read a lot of books all trying to tell our story without ever having been there. But I'll tell you, Lauren's book tells it like it really was."

Howard Kenton Potts, Coxswain
USS Arizona Crew Member & Survivor




"I was a crew member and survivor of USS Arizona and have read Lauren's book, and can whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone. This book tells the story of the attack on Pearl Harbor like no other because I was there and know it to be true."

Lonnie D. Cook, Seaman 1/c
USS Arizona Crew Member & Survivor




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GET THE BOOK

Don't miss this opportunity to have a very special piece of American history. This special edition of Second to the Last to Leave is available to order as a donation of $34.95 that is made directly to the Lauren F. Bruner USS Arizona Memorial Foundation. 


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 Lauren F. Bruner USS Arizona Memorial Foundation

350 Ward Avenue, Suite 106
Honolulu, Hawaii 96814
808-202-2037
info@ussaz.org

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