Veterans, youth groups gather to honor lives lost at Pearl Harbor
EASTHAMPTON, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Veterans groups and organizations in Easthampton gathered Sunday morning to honor World War II veterans who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor.
December 7th, 1941 is a day that will live in infamy. It signifies the surprise attack by Japanese forces on the Pearl Harbor Naval Base that pulled the United States into World War II.
Post Commander of the South Hadley American Legion, Brian Willette, told Western Mass News that veterans groups and local leaders in Easthampton gathered at the Pearl Harbor Veterans Memorial Bridge to honor those who died that day.
“This is one of our most sacred days,” Willette said. “This is right up there with Memorial Day or any other day, especially to remember our fallen.”
Event organizers said that the theme for Sunday’s wreath laying was “The Everlasting Legacy.”
Director of Veterans Services Michael Slater said that, in honor of the theme, veterans groups invited youth groups to join in on the ceremony.
“It was great to see that mix of the younger and the older generation,” he told us. “If we don’t educate our youth of the importance of ceremonies like this and remembering these great tragedies, I think we’re doing an injustice to them and to the people that were lost that day. So, it’s extremely important that we continue to grow these ceremonies to improve that younger generation and educate them on that sacrifice.”
Willette hopes that telling the story of the Pearl Harbor attack will help future generations from having history repeat itself.
“We can never forget what happened. We can never forget the lives lost,” he said. “As mentioned in President Roosevelt’s speech that very next day, we would never let this happen again, and the only way that you can prevent that is to let people know what happened the effects that occurred.”
2022′s National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day falls on Wednesday, December 7th.
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