Dean Urick was born on April 3, 1922 and raised on a farm in rural Henry County, Illinois. Dean enrolled in the College of Agriculture at the University of Illinois. He was listening with all his fraternity brothers to those famous words uttered by Franklin Delano Roosevelt announcing the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. "Little did we know how great an impact this would have on our lives," he would later write. Of that group of stunned young men, two would lose their lives and several would suffer injuries in the coming war. Dean began active duty and arrived at Pearl Harbor aboard a converted aircraft carrier from San Francisco. He reported to the Administrative Command for the Amphibious Pacific forces (ADCOMPHIBSPAC) for assignment. One of Dean's jobs as the assistant to the First Lieutenant was to help load and unload the amphibious trac vehicles (LVTs) from the tank deck. The navy was preparing to invade the island of Saipan in the Japanese-held Mariana Islands. On May 21, 1944 Dean was working on the ship and speaking with an enlisted man when suddenly an explosion lifted the two men off their feet. Dean landed on the left open bow door, while the sailor was knocked down into the water. In shock, Dean helped the sailor out of the water onto the deck ramp before a small boat picked them up and took them to the hospital. Multiple explosions followed in the area, as a chain reaction swept through the closely docked ships. Six LSTs and three other ships were lost, as well as 163 servicemen killed and 396 wounded. Amazingly, few people back in the U.S. heard about the tragic incident. Later on, historians would name this event the "Secret Pearl Harbor" because the military tried to keep the incident quiet so that the Japanese would not know the size of the force in the Pacific. Dean was one of 396 wounded in the disaster. He had a burst eardrum and was hospitalized for a lacerated scalp.
About the Author: My name is Kyleigh Retzlaff. I'm 15 years old, and I was born in Omaha, Nebraska. My family and I moved to Atkinson, Illinois, when I was two years old. I absolutely love to read and write. I am also a member of the high school band, both marching and concert. I was so excited when I learned that I would be a part of this wonderful project. I love to learn about history. Combining that with my love of writing, I was able to have a lot of fun and learn so much. This was a great experience, and I am so thankful I was able to join in on something as important as this.