He survived the sinking of the Indianapolis (317 Survived) in 1945, I shook his hand

[Omaha Steve]

Link to the event: http://www.omahafilmevent.com/upcoming.htm

Tonight Omaha's link to Hollywood Bruce Crawford presented the 35th anniversary showing of "JAWS". Marta and I had been married about a week and 1/2 when we saw it on the 105 foot wide screen at the Indian Hills. It has always been a special movie for us. A packed house tonight shows it is special to many others too. We were looking ahead to meeting Carl Gottlieb. The unexpected surprise was a survivor of the USS Indianapolis (CA-35), Clarence Hupka was in the house. He lives here in Nebraska. He got a standing ovation. After the showing we went right to the front of the autograph line. We got Carl's autograph, but Clarence wasn't there. He was surrounded in the auditorium and hadn't been able to fight the crowds to get in the lobby for autographs. We got back in the end of the line. When I got to Clarence I shook his hand. Got his autograph. Bought the book "Only 317 Survived". I also got his wife's autograph. I should add that a dear friend from the group that tried to stop the demolition of the Indian Hills was there. At the time we saw Jaws, Suzie's first job was selling concessions and tickets. It is a good bet, she sold us our ticket and popcorn so long ago.



Carl as he looks today.

[guruoo]

1. Story: 88-year-old survivor of the nightmare USS Indianapolis ordeal to be at Joslyn Friday

omahacityweekly:



Soldier of Fortune
88-year-old survivor of the nightmare USS Indianapolis ordeal to be at Joslyn Friday, too

By: Sean Brennan
Issue: 7.15

Crew of the USS Indianapolis

SAY WHAT YOU WANT ABOUT how scary “Jaws” is or any anxieties you harbor of getting caught in a shark attack, chances are pretty good – probably 100 percent good – that you don’t know fear like Clarence Hupka knows fear.

Hupka is one of only a handful of still-living survivors of the infamous attack on the USS Indianapolis, the navy cruiser that was hit with torpedoes by the Japanese on July 30, 1945 after delivering critical parts for the first atomic bomb. Of the 1,196 crew on board that day, 300 went down with the ship. The other 800 were forced to suffer through four days of sun exposure, dehydration and shark attacks as they fought to stay alive and waited, hoped and prayed to be saved. When they were finally spotted four days later by another U.S. vessel, only 316 of those 800 men were still alive.

Hupka, who calls tiny Cook, Neb. (located in southeast Nebraska; population 322) home, was one of them, and at 88 years old he’s still active and full of life today. So active, in fact, that he’ll be attending Friday’s screening of “Jaws” in Omaha. The movie, of course, acknowledges the USS Indianapolis with the famous scene and famous line, “eleven hundred men went in the water; 316 men come out and the sharks took the rest, June the 29th, 1945. Anyway, we delivered the bomb.”

http://www.omahacityweekly.com/article/2010/05/20/soldier-fortune

[Omaha Steve]

2. Kick

[Omaha Steve]

3. Kick

[havocmom]

4. kicking too

[elehhhhna]

5. 2 (!) of my FIL's best friends survived that disaster --

amazing stories. Never knew they'd both survived until they were finally picked up. My FIL was glad he'd not been assigned to the same ship afterall.

[Omaha Steve]

6. Link to the book

I bought an autographed copy Friday night.

http://www.amazon.com/Only-317-Survived-Indianapolis-Tragedy/dp/0972596003



Only 317 Survived! : USS Indianapolis (CA-35) Navy's Worst Tragedy at Sea. . . 880 Men Died

[Scurrilous]

7. Kick

:kick: