Interview with Fon B. Huffman

In January of 2007, writer Nick T. Spark conducted an archival quality, videotape interview with Fon B. Huffman, the last living survivor of the Panay incident. 

Mr. Huffman, age 93, joined the U.S. Navy at the age of 16 and ended up as a Watertender 2nd Class aboard Panay.   During the Japanese attack, Huffman gave journalist Norman Alley his lifebelt, and then attempted to swim to shore aboard a mattress. The mattress sank but fortunately for Huffman, he was picked up by the ship’s boat.  A grateful Alley paid tribute to Huffman in his book I Witness, calling him a hero. 

The transcript of the interview will be available on this site, along with an excerpt of the video, at a future date.