CALDWELL, Texas — Sisters Linda Hamilton Moore and Brenda Hamilton Terry used to hear war stories.
Eventually, those stories turned into old lessons.
"He taught me so much; he taught me my whole life," Moore said.
It's what's keeping their father's, Horace Hamilton A.K.A. Old Salt, memory alive.
He was one of the last Pearl Harbor survivors in Burleson County; he died at 99.
"How the community reacted to him and loved him, it does make more of an impact on you," Moore said.
Hamilton joined the Navy at 17-years-old, reporting to Pearl Harbor after training.
He made friends easy.
"He has pictures of he and his friends having birthday cakes on the ship, and he was on his ship for four years, so he had a very close relationship with all of his friends," Terry said.
Then, they were attacked on Dec. 7, 1941.
Hamilton was aboard the U.S.S. Phoenix as Japan launched a surprise attack, killing more than 2,400 Americans.
It marked the start of World War II, and Hamilton's 32 tours on the Pacific Ocean.
"I think it took a lot of time to heal and more freely talk about things," Terry said.
After the war, Hamilton married "the love of his life," Virginia, raised two children and worked in steel manufacturing for 34 years.
He eventually settled in Caldwell, becoming a farmer and taking up hobbies like dancing, writing poetry, cooking and working with his hands.
"He had a zeal for life and all he's wanted to be a good father," Terry said.
Now, Moore and Terry have stories of their own.
"When we were kids, and that's probably middle school age 12,13, he taught us how to drive in this old military jeep, and all the kids in the neighborhood would pile in," Moore said. "We drove around the neighborhood. We probably terrorized our neighbors. But he let you drive, and he wouldn't sit in the jeep with you."
"I would tag along with him everywhere in the garage, in the shop. One day he's repairing the washing machine. He's crawled inside the washing machine, you know, with his light," Terry said. "I'm just messing around in the garage with him, and I see this cord, and I had a pair of pliers in my hand, so I just decided to cut the cord. Well that was the light and when it went out, it went 'POOF,' and dad was inside the washing machine. He never let me forget that."
Stories like these, they'll remember forever, and they'll remember Hamilton's love.
"I would say, Thank you, Dad for the impact that you made to us and the legacy, and there's no way we can fill your shoes," Terry said. "You were a true hero, and it was a life well lived. We have the ultimate respect for him, so that’s what i would tell him."
The family held funeral services for Hamilton Thursday, burying him at the Cook Walden Parks Cemetery in Pflugerville. The VFW Post 4458 will hold a tribute to honor his life at its annual Pearl Harbor Day event on Dec. 7.