Americans Asked to Recall Sacrifices of World War II
(December 8, 2010) |
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 7, 2010 – One of the top U.S. Navy
commanders called for today's generation to remember the
sacrifices of Americans during World War II, and to match
those sacrifices as the country fights now into its 10th
consecutive year of war.
Navy Adm. Jonathan Greenert,
vice chief of Naval Operations, spoke to a crowd
of about 100 veterans, troops and families,
gathered here today at the National World War II
Memorial to remember the Dec. 7, 1941 Japanese
attacks on the United States.
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| Navy Adm. Jonathan Greenert,
the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, touches a wreath
at the National World War II Memorial in Washington,
D.C., Dec. 7, 2010, during a ceremony commemorating
the 1941 Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor. A handful
of World War II and Pearl Harbor veterans wait to
participate in the wreath-laying ceremony. |
On that early Sunday morning, the U.S. naval
base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, was attacked
in what is widely recognized as one of the
greatest military surprises in the history of
warfare. In less than two hours, the U.S.
Pacific Fleet was devastated, with more than
3,500 Americans killed or wounded.
The next day, then U.S. President Franklin D.
Roosevelt called it “a date which will live in
infamy.”
The attacks “galvanized” America, Greenert said,
as Congress declared war on Japan,
thrusting the United States into World War II, a
war that would claim heavy tolls both at home
and abroad.
Standing just across the river from the Pentagon where
terrorists slammed a commercial jet into its walls nine
years ago, Greenert said the United States is fighting a
“different kind of enemy,” but the support required of
Americans in this war is the same.
“Today we have to emulate those values of the World War II
generation,” Greenert said. “We look to their courage and
their determination, and to their commitment.”
As World War II raged, families sacrificed, rationed and
saved for war bonds, he said.
And, as troops returned home from war, their needs were the
same as those returning from combat today.
“When they come home they want what those young heroes of
1941 and throughout World War II wanted – a job, an
education, a home and a better life,” Greenert said. “We
have to care for them, reach out to them, seek to understand
them, and ensure that they do not suffer in desperation with
wounds that are both visible and invisible.”
The number of World War II survivors is slowly dwindling,
with only a few present at the ceremony today. This
generation must embrace the responsibility to remind a new
generation of what happened at Pearl Harbor, the admiral
said.
“That's why we came here today. That's why you came here
today,” he said. “Why we will always return and why we must
endure to ensure that the generations that follow will
always know the phrase ‘Remember Pearl harbor.'”
Jay Groff, an 88-year-old former warrant officer with the
U.S. Army Air Corps will never forget that day, he said. He
called it the “most important day of the 20th century.”
“The world changed for the United States,” Groff said. But,
not only for the country, he added.
“I grew up overnight,” he said. “That morning, I realized
that there was somebody out there trying to kill me. That
changed my outlook on life.”
Sharlene Hawkes, a former Miss America, gathered with her
extended family for the event. Alongside her sisters, she
sang the closing hymn at the ceremony. |
World War II veteran Stensel Walser talks with Navy Capt. Wayne Porter, with the office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dec. 7, 2010, at the National World War II Memorial during the commemoration of the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Walser's brother, Roy, survived the Pearl Harbor attack. |
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But, Hawkes was not there as a celebrity. Her father, Robert
Wells, is a World War II veteran. And, in fact, a member of
her extended family has fought in every conflict since World
War II. At the head of the group were the four Walser
brothers from El Paso, Texas: Roy, Stensel, Kenneth and
Walter. Roy survived the attack at Pearl Harbor. The others
all served in World War II, and some later in Korea.
Between the four, the brothers amassed 94 years of military
service. Walter died last year, but the other three attended
the ceremony today.
“I think the most important thing is we never forget,”
Hawkes said. “We must never forget the service of anyone who
has ever sacrificed and who has served. Both of those are
fundamental to our way of life; to preserving our liberties. |
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“If we don't recognize and honor that on a consistent,
regular basis and put everything that we can behind it, then
what we're saying is ‘It's not that critical and not that
important to our way of life.' And it is,” she said.
Hawkes' sister, Elayne Harmer, said it also is important to
remember the sacrifices of those who are still serving, and
their families. “We go to the store, we go to games, and we
take our kids to school, and we don't often remember on a
day-to-day basis what makes all those freedoms available to
us,” she said. “And it's important to have ceremonies like
this as often as possible so that we remember the sacrifices
that were made.
“Every sacrifice they make – from the families that are
sacrificing, to the men and women who are putting their
lives on the line – none of it is wasted,” she said. “We
remember them. We think of them. We pray for them. | |
Article and photos
By
Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2010
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