May 28th, 2026

Since Memorial Day is this month, we thought it would be appropriate to highlight the story of Red Cloud native son and Pearl Harbor Survivor Donald G. Stratton. Stratton's memoir All the Gallant Men: An American Sailor's Firsthand Account of Pearl Harbor, was a New York Times bestseller. We agree with television personality Mike Rowe that All the Gallant Men "is a book that every American should read" and you can purchase it right here in Red Cloud at the Willa Cather Bookstore. 

Stratton's story is moving to say the least. Red Cloud residents will never forget the days surrounding his motorcade traveling from Colorado Springs to his final resting place here in Red Cloud at the Red Cloud Cemetery. Quite possibly the largest group of people to gather in Webster County at one time in recent memory lined Red Cloud's streets to pay their respects in late February 2020. 

Learn more about Stratton's story from his granddaughter Nikki on Rowe's podcast "The Way I Heard It" as well as several segments on national news broadcasts in the videos posted below. You can watch a full 55 minute segment on Stratton, Pearl Harbor, and the USS Arizona Memorial at the following link if you have a PBS passport: You can watch a full 55 minute video from PBS about Stratton and the Pearl Harbor attack here if you have a PBS Passport: https://www.pbs.org/video/pearl-harbor-arizona/  

You can also help honor Stratton's legacy by contributing to the Donald G. Stratton (Red Cloud) American Legion #238's quest to reinvigorate the WWI Memorial Park commonly referred to as the Scout Lodge into the Donald G. Stratton Veterans Memorial at Hardwick Park. Click here to donate via the Red Cloud Community Fund (make sure to select Hardwick Park) or donate via mail at the following address: RCCF, PO Box 263, Red Cloud, NE 68970.