106-year-old WWII nurse donates bullet from husband's heart to Pearl Harbor museum

A 106-year-old World War II nurse donated the bullet recovered from her late husband’s heart to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial Museum on Sept. 18, 2025. The donation ties a personal memory to the broader history of the Dec. 7, 1941 attack and the decades of service shared by Alice Beck Darrow and her husband, Dean Darrow.

The couple’s story began at Mare Island Naval Hospital in California in 1942, when Beck Darrow cared for Dean Darrow, a young sailor who had survived the U.S.S. West Virginia’s assault during the Pearl Harbor attack. Although Dean survived the bombing, he was shot while trying to board a rescue boat. Doctors later discovered a bullet lodged in his heart. During surgery, he asked Beck Darrow, "If I make it through, will you go out with me?" She said yes. The two married that year and raised four children in California, remaining together for nearly five decades until Dean’s death in 1991. Beck Darrow kept the bullet as a personal reminder of the circumstances that brought them together.

Beck Darrow donated the bullet to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial Museum while aboard Holland America Line’s Westerdam on a 28-day Hawaii itinerary that included an overnight in Honolulu. She described the moment as deeply emotional, saying the memento should belong to those who served and sacrificed, not only to her and Dean. "Holding onto the bullet all these years meant a great deal, but it truly belongs to those who served and sacrificed, and to all who can understand its significance, not just to Dean and me," she said. Captain Vincent Smit of Holland America’s Westerdam said the company was "humbled to play even a small role in helping her complete this journey."

Beck Darrow is among the last living links to the Pearl Harbor attack. In 2024 she was honored for her role as a nurse, and she has continued to speak about resilience. She said she believes Dean would approve of returning the bullet to Pearl Harbor, adding that it honors so many and marks a place of shared sacrifice: "I think Dean would feel that returning the bullet to Pearl Harbor is the right thing. It honors so many, and I know he would agree it’s the right place for it."