Marshall County native Claude Dean, 96, who witnessed the bombing of Pearl Harbor 75 years ago today, said he does not like to talk about it often because of the bad memories.

But Dean, who now lives in Shelbyville, spoke briefly Tuesday about the Day of Infamy, as FDR called the Japanese attack on the U.S. Navy base.

"I don't like to talk about it often," he said of Pearl Harbor, and referenced seeing people in the water and wanting to help them.

When asked about his memories of the attack, Claude Dean said his main recollection was, "Getting the [expletive] knocked out of me."

Dean was a boatswain's mate second class serving on the U.S.S. Helena, a light cruiser, at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack.

Dean said he lost his best friend, Fred Pencil, another gunner, to shrapnel that day. The men served on the Helena, which on Dec. 7, 1941, was docked at the location often used by the battleship U.S.S. Pennsylvania, the U.S. flagship. The Pennsylvania had been moved to dry dock, Dean said, and the Helena had just returned from maneuvers.

"We were the first ship hit," he said, adding that the Japanese wanted to take out what they thought was the flagship.

The veteran said he had just eaten breakfast and went topside when general quarters was sounded. When the shooting started, he thought, "I'd better get to my general quarters station," which was the No. 5 gun.

Then, the ship's machine gunners were called topside to fire at the Japanese planes, so that's where he went. He stayed topside with his machine gun the rest of the day, he said. The Helena's crew was credited with shooting down six planes.

The Helena was in dry dock for two months, Dean said, and then went to sea.

Dean said he had enlisted in the Navy on March 5, 1940. After leaving the Helena, he said, he served on a tender and a cargo ship.

Dean's daughter, Barbara West, is a resident of Lewisburg.