Retired Commanders Harry Ferrier and Harvey Lasell were the guest speakers at the 71st Anniversary of the Battle of Midway on Seaplane Base June 4. The two shared their experiences as Battle of Midway survivors with a crowd of more than 50 military personnel and fellow veterans. Ferrier was a young 17-year-old radioman and gunner on the Grumman TBF-1 Avenger assigned to Torpedo Squadron 8 and was deployed to Midway Island on June 1, just three days before the battle began. On the morning of June 4, Harry and his crew manned their TBF-1 Avengers for flight checks when they received word the Imperial Japanese Force had been sighted. Out of the six Avengers that launched from Midway that day, his was the only one that survived. Out of the 48 airmen assigned to Torpedo Squadron 8, Ferrier was one of three sailors to survive. Lasell was a 27-year-old fire control division officer aboard the USS Yorktown (CV-5) when it came under heavy enemy attack. This was the second major battle Lasell had experienced. One month earlier the Yorktown came under attack at the Battle of Coral Sea, a battle where he witness a Japanese bomb descending toward his position. Through evasive maneuvers, the ship avoided Japanese attackers. The Yorktown sustained significant damage at the Coral Sea, however, it overhauled quickly over three days and sent to Midway. The battle continued until the U.S. Navy’s victory June 7.