Johnny Carson's Guest Whispered "USS Pennsylvania, 1944"...And Johnny Went PALE on Live TV

On November 11th, 1985—Veterans Day—73-year-old Lieutenant Commander Robert Hayes walked onto The Tonight Show in full Navy uniform and whispered to Johnny during their handshake "USS Pennsylvania, December 7th, 1944, fire in the radio room, you were Ensign Carson, you pulled six men out including me," causing Johnny's face to go pale as he was confronted live on TV about the night he ran into an inferno at age 18 and saved six sailors while suffering second-degree burns. What followed was the most emotional Tonight Show moment ever as Robert revealed he'd spent 41 years tracking down the teenage hero who saved his life, wrote 15 unanswered letters, and finally used his book publicity tour to thank the man who gave him 41 years of family, three children, seven grandchildren, and a lifetime he wouldn't have had without an 18-year-old ensign's courage. This is the untold story of Johnny's hidden WWII heroism, the five survivors who formed "The Pennsylvania Six" and met every December 7th to remember him, the one sailor who died three days later saying "thank you, sir," and why Johnny kept survivor's guilt for 41 years until a veteran saluted him on live television. Comment below: Did you know Johnny served in WWII? Do you have family members who are unrecognized heroes? Share your veteran stories—they deserve to be remembered.