On the morning of 7 December 1941, William Lefabvre was on board the West Virginia in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese launched their sneak attack. The West Virginia took many torpedo and bomb hits and finally sank.
Lefabvre found himself struggling in the oil-covered water. He and some other soldiers managed to reach a launch and clambered aboard. "We all looked black," he said. "We were all covered with oil." They went to the subbase to get some fresh clothing. Lefabvre noticed sly mouth-covered whispers and giggles as he walked. The woman behind the desk giggled too and tried to look away. It was then that Lefabvre first noticed that he had no clothes on except for his shirt cuffs. Concussion waves from the explosions had shredded and whisked his Sunday best right off from him.
一九四一年十二月七日上午，威廉．勒費弗爾在珍珠港的西維吉尼亞號上，日軍突來偷襲，西維吉尼亞號遭多枚魚雷、炸彈擊中，終於沉沒。
勒費弗爾落在滿是污油的水裏，奮力求生，和其他一些士兵游到一艘汽艇那裏，爬到艇上。他說：「人人都是油漬滿身，黑漆漆的。」他們往後備基地領取新衣服。勒費弗爾一邊走，一邊看見旁人狡獪的掩着嘴巴竊竊私語，有些則吃吃的笑。服務臺那個女職員也吃吃笑起來，眼睛盡量往他處望。勒費弗爾這時才發覺，自己身上除了襯衫的袖口，其餘都是赤條條的。爆炸的震盪力，把他星期天穿着的最好衣服，全部震成碎片捲去。