Arles Cole could never have dreamed what the day held in store when he awoke aboard the USS West Virginia the morning of December 7, 1941.

By the time the day was over, the West Virginia and seven more U.S. battleships were sunk or badly damaged, more than 2,400 Americans were dead and another 1,300 wounded and the country had been plunged into the greatest conflict in human history.

Cole's story of survival is an amazing one.

Trapped below decks as the ship was pounded by a total of seven torpedoes and two bombs, he was saved by something of a miracle.

One of the bombs which struck the vessel failed to explode, but punched a hole through several decks, a hole which Cole used to climb out onto the deck and make his escape.

He then helped a fellow sailor up from the second deck below to the main deck.

That sailor was Doris "Dorie" Miller, who was later portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr. in the film “Pearl Harbor,” released in 2001.

Then, Cole stopped to look around him.

"I could see the bay, I could see planes all over the place. I could see the oil on top of the water in the bay was on fire and there was debris. Guys in the water, dead bodies in the water...just havoc, all around."

He then helped find and fly the Stars and Stripes, a sight which helped inspire his shipmates as they fought to stabilize, then escape the sinking vessel.

In this lengthy audio interview conducted Sept. 11, 2011, during a ceremony commemorating the attacks on New York City and honoring veterans of all of America's wars, Cole sat down with KRMG and told his remarkable tale in full.

He also spoke at length about why he believes he survived that day and his mission in life.

Click here to listen to the complete interview.