Oral History Interview With Al Quackenbush, a Survivor of and Eye Witness to the Attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941

The source of this story is the National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive. ORAL HISTORY PROJECT BY BRAD WEBER FOR INTERVIEW WITH AL QUACKENBUSH, U.S.S. Tangier October 10, 1999 Al Quackenbush was a First Class Ships Cook on the USS Tangier at the time of Pearl Harbor. Today he resides in Minnesota and is very involved with the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. 

BW: Can you give me your full name, rate, and length of service on the Tangier.

AQ: My name is Al Quackenbush. At the time we put the Tangier in commission I was Ships Cook first class. Bill Fletcher and I were watch officers in our galley. I entered the Navy as a swimmer when right out of high school in a swimming program the Navy had in those days. In 1931 you couldn’t get into the Navy in those days unless you was an athlete. So it was quite an honor for me to be accepted into the Navy when they was turning so many people. In 1931 there wasn’t much action. So I was real fortunate. All I did for the first few years was swept for the Navy. I almost made the 1932 Olympic team. I tried out for it and the Navy was good enough to send me all over to Panama along with everybody. I had a great time with alot of great people. I had this picture taken with Buster Crabbe at a swimming race. I later met him in Hawaii. We had a good times. It was a wonderful life. 

U.S.S. Tangier AV-8

Interesting Facts About The Quackenbush Surname

 Here are some interesting facts I ran across recently about the Quackenbush surname.

There are approximately 5,831 people in the world at this moment with this surname and it is the 83,019th most common surname in the world. Below is listed where they are and in what numbers.

• Canada: 6% of all Quackenbush's live in Canada or 368 people. The name appears 1 in100k people.
• United States: There are 5,402 Quackenbush residing in the U.S.. 21% in New York State, 9% in California, 7% in Florida, and a sprinkling in Indiana and Oregon. The name appears 1 in 67k.
• Honduras: There is 1 Quackenbush here with a ratio of 1 in 8.8M.
• France: There is 1 Quackenbush here with a ratio of 1 in 66M.
• Brazil: There are 4 Quackenbush's here with a ratio of 1 in 53M.
• Chile: There are 4 Quackenbush's here with a ratio of 1 in 4.4M.
• Bahamas: There is 1 Quackenbush here with a ratio of 1 in 391k.
• England: There are 3 Quackenbush's here with a ratio of 1 in 18M.
• Wales: There is 1 Quackenbush here with a ratio of 1 in 3M.
• Denmark: There are 5 Quackenbush's here with a ratio of 1 in 1.1M.
• Netherlands: There is 1 Quackenbush here with a ratio of 1 in 16M. I really expected to find many more here since it is where the surname originated. However, it appears that we have all but abandoned the country.
• Spain: There is 1 Quackenbush in Spain with a ratio of 1 in 46M.
• Russia: There is 1 Quackenbush here with a ratio of 1 in 144M.
• Crimea: There is 1 Quackenbush here with a ratio of 1 in 144M.
• Kazakhstan: There are 2 Quackenbush's here with a ratio of 1 in 8.8M.
• China: There is 1 Quackenbush here with a ratio of 1 in 1.3B.
• Japan: There is 1 Quackenbush with a ratio of 1 in 127M.
• Turkey: There is 1 Quackenbush here with a ratio of 1 in 77M.
• Cypress: There is 1 Quackenbush with a ratio of 1 in 884k.
• Afghanistan: There are 2 Quackenbush's here with a ratio of 1 in 16M.
• South Korea: There is 1 Quackenbush with a ratio of 1 in 51M.
• Thailand: There are 2 Quackenbush's with a ratio of 1 in 35M.
• Australia: There are 23 Quackenbush's here with a ratio of 1 in 1.1M.

In the U.S., 13.27% of all Quackenbush's are more likely to be registered Republicans than the national average, with 60.04% being registered with the political party. In the U.S., they earn 5.61% more than the national average, earning up to $45,570 USD per year and in Canada they earn 7,82% less than the national average, earning $45,798 CAD per year.