[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 86 (Thursday, May 19, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E540]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 REMEMBERING MICHAEL ``MICKEY'' GANITCH

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. ERIC SWALWELL

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 19, 2022

  Mr. SWALWELL. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the life and service 
of Michael ``Mickey'' Ganitch, a United States Navy veteran and Pearl 
Harbor survivor, who passed away at the age of 102 on Wednesday, May 4, 
2022.
  Mickey was born in Mogadore, Ohio on November 18, 1919, as one of 14 
children. Upon graduating high school in 1937, he left Ohio bound for 
California. On January 21, 1941, he joined the United States Navy.
  Mickey served in the Navy as a Quartermaster, joining the USS 
Pennsylvania in Pearl Harbor on August 15, 1941. On December 7, 1941, 
while preparing for a football game against the USS Arizona, the 
Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service bombardment of Pearl Harbor began. 
During the second air attack, a 500-pound bomb hit Mickey's ship, 
narrowly missing Mickey's station in the crow's nest. This attack 
killed 23 men and left numerous others injured. After the attack, 
Mickey and the USS Pennsylvania served as ammunition support for most 
major United States military invasions in the Pacific theater 
throughout World War II. Just before the end of the war, in 1945, 
Mickey survived another attack when a torpedo struck the ship he was 
on, killing 20 in Mickey's 26-man crew.
  After the war, Mickey continued his service as a recruiter in 
Oakland. In the early 1960's, he met his wife, Barbara. They went on to 
marry in 1963. Shortly thereafter, he retired from the Navy as Senior 
Chief Quartermaster. He continued to work various jobs throughout his 
life, at a bowling alley, as a fishing net manufacturer, and as a 
security guard at the Alameda naval air station, where he retired in 
1996.
  Mickey's active involvement in his community reflected his heart of 
service. He served as Pearl Harbor Survivors organization state 
treasurer and chapter secretary; he volunteered over 7,000 hours with 
the VA; he was an active member of the Masonic Lodge; and he served as 
head usher for his church for more than 49 years.
  Mickey, Barbara, and their family have resided in the heart of my 
community since they arrived. I am grateful for his service and his 
dedication to sharing his story. He is survived by his wife Barbara, 
with whom he shared nearly 60 years of marriage, his four daughters, 13 
grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, and eight great-great-
grandchildren.

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