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A Witness To History

The service history of Vic Paradis

By Luke Heikkila

It is my job to talk to people, record their interviews, edit their stories and share their stories with you. Many of the stories I share are those of our veterans.

I've met men and women who've fought in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

I've had the sincere privilege to see a bit of what soldiers go through while in the theater of war because I've been able to experience Iraq and Afghanistan, myself. This is to say that, when it comes to gathering stories from the men and women who've worn the uniform, I've been around the block.

And yet, nothing I have previously experienced would have prepared me to listen to Vic Paradis share his story with his grandson, Blake Hayden, who is currently serving as a member of the Minnesota National Guard.

Victor John Paradis enlisted in the U.S. Navy in April of 1941. He was stationed at Pearl Harbor. On the morning of December 7, 1941, he was a 23-year-old waiting for the Stars & Stripes to be raised up a large, white pole in the middle of the base. The flag was raised every morning at 0800, and this would have been his first time witnessing the ritual. At 7:55 am, the attack on Pearl Harbor began. It would end about two hours later and force the country's hand to enter World War II.

war headline
Headline from the Minneapolis Star Journal
A date that will live in infamy
A transcript from President Franklin D. Roosevelt's address to congress on December 8, 1941. (National Archives)

Vic was there as Japanese planes dropped bombs over US soil and sent torpedoes into moored ships. Vic was there to take up arms and do what he could to defend the base. Vic was there to witness history.

Before Vic entered the Navy, he was a farm kid in southern Minnesota near the town of Marshall. He went to school until the 8th grade. He shared with his grandson, Blake, that, until his sister was in school, he and his brothers walked to school. Later, his dad would bring the kids to school via horse and buggy. After his formal education was complete, he worked on the farm until it was time to enlist. He opted for the Navy during an unsettled time because he didn't want to risk being drafted into the Army.

Vic and Lucille
Vic and Lucille before Vic headed out to Pearl Harbor. (family collection)

Until it burned to the ground in 1981, The Blue Moon Ballroom in Marshall, Minnesota was the place to be on Saturday nights to dance to the music of the day - and it's where Vic met his lifelong sweetheart, Lucille, in 1939. When Blake presses his grandpa to tell him about what he liked about Lucille, Vic says with a wry smile, "I just liked her. She was fun to be with."

Vic's service history began two years after meeting Lucille. From 1941 until nearly the end of 1945, Vic beared witness to a number of events that, if singled out on their own, could be labeled as 'life-defining.' It's only when you put them together that a certain aura forms around this humble soon-to-be centenarian. Whether witnessing enemy planes over American soil, accompanying the carriers that would launch the Doolittle raids on Japan, surviving the sinking of the USS Northampton, being rescued at sea, being off the shores of Tokyo during V-J Day, or transporting American POWs back to United States soil, it's safe to say I have never met a person who has been through more or seen as much as Vic.

WWII air craft carrier
The flight deck of a carrier just prior to the Doolittle raids (US Navy Museum)
Doolittle Medal of Honor
President Roosevelt presents Jimmy Doolittle with the Medal of Honor (National Archives)
USS Northampton
The USS Northampton was sunk by torpedoes killing 58 men. (US Navy Museum)

When Japan surrendered in September of 1945, Vic finally made the turn to head for home.

Blake asks his grandfather, "When you returned home, what was the first thing you did?" Vic says with a chuckle, "I got to see Lucille, then we started making plans to get married."

Victor and Lucille Paradis have been married since November 4, 1946, and they still reside in southern Minnesota.

wedding photo
November 4, 1946 Victor and Lucille Paradis (family collection)
70th anniversary
Victor and Lucille celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary (family collection)

 

 

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