( CNN ) -- It has been more than 65 years , but for 93-year-old Anthony Snetro , the image of a Japanese torpedo bomber closing in on him will never go away . Snetro still has vivid memories of the day his life flashed before his eyes . `` Our ship was starting to swing around , '' Snetro softly recalls . `` All of a sudden , here comes a Jap torpedo bomber all aflame right at my eye level . I could have reached out and touched the wing . '' Snetro joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 and was immediately assigned to serve aboard the USS Boston in the South Pacific . He hoped enlisting in the Navy would prevent his younger brother from being drafted . `` Let him stay home to help the family , '' Snetro recalls . `` That 's why I joined the Navy , I was 25 years old . But finally near the end , they drafted him . He was wounded in Germany but made it home OK. '' Snetro was a machinist in the Navy during World War II . Although he had experienced many terrifying moments during his four years in the service , nothing compared to that October night during the Battle of Formosa in 1944 . Up until now , the World War II veteran has shared the experience of that frightening night with only one other person , his son . `` Plainly , I saw the pilot and the gunner in there , '' Snetro explains as his voice gets louder . `` The plane was afire . Good thing we were swinging . It just missed us and went along and crashed in the ocean and exploded . '' Two other cruisers , the Canberra and the Houston , had already been aerial torpedoed the previous two nights . `` I know one thing , I was really scared there , '' Snetro recalls , slowly shaking his head as his eyes grow wider . `` I could n't do anything . I was stupefied . I was frozen . '' iReport and Facebook team up to honor veterans . The four years that Snetro served were extremely stressful , he says . The heavy cruiser would be at sea for months at a time before finally pulling into port for supplies . When out at sea , there was always a concern , especially during war time . `` We never knew how close we came to being torpedoed , `` Snetro says . `` The engine room was down below the water . You get hit with a torpedo and you 're done . '' Snetro realized he needed something to help cope with the dangers of war . He decided to turn to a sport he had been playing since age 10 . `` We 'd get a few hours off on the beach , '' Snetro says . `` We had equipment , softballs , bats , different things . A bunch of guys would get together and we 'd start a little game . It was just for fun . You got a little relaxed . '' Playing ball helped him during the unnerving days of World War II and it has helped him ever since . Snetro hopes to continue playing ball for at least a couple more years . `` I enjoy playing ball . It makes me feel good . Seeing my age , I can still run around . '' he says , smiling . `` I ca n't play like I used to , but I get a hit once in a while . '' `` Baseball was something that you could keep playing . Just my luck , I came down here ( Coral Gables , Florida ) and they had a team and I 've been playing ever since . It 's been great ! Otherwise , I 'd be sitting at home in a rocking chair ! ''
Anthony Snetro was a machinist in the Navy during World War II . Snetro , 93 , is still haunted by the image of a Japanese torpedo bomber . To cope with the stresses of war , Snetro turned to sports .