Pearl Harbor Remembered; 75 years later

Pearl Harbor Remembered; 75 years laterPictured, Pearl Harbor Survivor Richard Hopkins, of Berkshire, finds the honored name of Owego Seaman Delmar Dale Sibley, entombed in the Battleship USS Arizona, since Dec. 7, 1941, on the WWII Memorial in Owego's Courthouse Square on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in 2012.  Hopkins paid tribute to Tioga County's first WWII casualty by placing a traditional Hawaiian Lea around the wreath that remembers those from the Greatest Generation who made the supreme sacrifice. Hopkins died on July 24, 2013. Hopkins was an Army Infantry Sergeant. On that Sunday morning 74 years ago he witnessed Japanese dive-bombers strafe the American airfield next to his living quarters and then he helped evacuate the wounded. Hopkins had four months of intense combat on the front lines of Guadalcanal in charge of two machine gun squads. He vividly remembers a Japanese bullet whizzing by his head. He is the recipient of the Bronze Star Medal. 
Pearl Harbor Remembered; 75 years later

Pictured, Pearl Harbor Survivor Richard Hopkins, of Berkshire, finds the honored name of Owego Seaman Delmar Dale Sibley, entombed in the Battleship USS Arizona, since Dec. 7, 1941, on the WWII Memorial in Owego’s Courthouse Square on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in 2012.  Hopkins paid tribute to Tioga County’s first WWII casualty by placing a traditional Hawaiian Lea around the wreath that remembers those from the Greatest Generation who made the supreme sacrifice. Hopkins died on July 24, 2013. Hopkins was an Army Infantry Sergeant. On that Sunday morning 74 years ago he witnessed Japanese dive-bombers strafe the American airfield next to his living quarters and then he helped evacuate the wounded. Hopkins had four months of intense combat on the front lines of Guadalcanal in charge of two machine gun squads. He vividly remembers a Japanese bullet whizzing by his head. He is the recipient of the Bronze Star Medal.

Japan’s Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and six other military bases on the Hawaiian island of Oahu precipitated America’s entry into World War II, a global conflict. 

Pearl Harbor endures as a symbol of American resilience and resolve, and the annual observance of the attack on Pearl Harbor fosters reflection, remembrance, and understanding. 

The 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor is an opportunity to honor the sacrifice and dedication of our “Greatest Generation,” both military and civilian, who endured incredible sacrifices on Dec. 7, 1941, the “date which will live in infamy.”

It would thrust America into World War II, changing Hawaii and America forever and continues to define their place in the world. The events of that date triggered our resolve as a nation, our can-do attitude and resourcefulness and unmatched commitment to the defense of freedom. 

Understanding past events and their consequences can inspire reverence for an emotional commitment to peaceful solutions to conflict. How do we help future generations chart their way towards peace and prosperity? We can learn from the past. 

A key focus of the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor will be a brighter future in our relationship with Japan and the celebrating of 71 years of peace between us. 

In Owego, the American flags at the Tioga County Veterans Memorial are flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset to honor those who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Two waves of bombers, torpedoes and strafing from 353 Japanese aircraft on that early Sunday morning killed 2,403 Americans. 

Now 95, Pearl Harbor Survivor Bill Kennedy of Owego wrote in his diary as a 20-year-old Army Air Force Private First Class, “War began today. We are being bombed by Japanese dive-bombers. It’s a terrible helpless feeling to be lying behind or under some flimsy shelter and bomb splinters or machine gun bullets and debris are flying around like hell.” 

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day will return to the Delmar Dale Sibley Memorial Dining Room at the Glenn A. Warner Post 1371 Veterans of Foreign Wars for the 12:55 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, commemoration – the exact time as the attack. 

The last Pearl Harbor remembrance in the VFW was its dedication ceremony on Friday, Dec. 7, 2007 to Owego and Tioga County’s first WWII casualty. The September 2011 flood severely damaged the dining area. Sibley’s wall portrait was found floating on the floodwater. His shadow box of medals has been restored. 

To hear Bill share his memories, WWII veterans requested an inside warm environment and comfortable chairs. They say they are getting older. It is too hard for them to stand outside in the December cold.  

VFW Post 1371 Commander Ralph Tapia invites families of the three other deceased Tioga County Pearl Harbor Survivors, all era Gold Star families, all era veterans – especially WWII and anyone who recalls Dec. 7 to attend and bring photos, documents, and personal reminiscences to share. 

Twenty-three year old Navy seaman Sibley was aboard the USS Arizona during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. After a bomb detonated in a powder magazine, the battleship exploded violently and sank, with the loss of 1,117 officers and crewmen. 

Unlike many of the other ships sunk or damaged that day, Arizona was irreparably damaged by the force of the magazine explosion. The wreck still lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial, dedicated on May 30, 1962 to all those who died during the attack, straddles the ship’s hull. 

Three other Tioga County servicemen, now deceased, survived the attack. Marine Lester Dunham of Owego was on guard duty patrolling the docks at Pearl Harbor. Later the combat Marine fought gallantly in the Guadalcanal campaign. He escaped from a foxhole just before it blew up. 

Army Sergeant Donald Stocks of Owego was at Hickam Field. He was a cook. He left his kitchen and grabbed a rifle to fight.

Army Sergeant Richard Hopkins of Berkshire was at Schofield Barracks. He remembers the planes coming in and bombs dropping. Hopkins also spent 21 days on the front lines at Guadalcanal against the Japanese who “would not surrender.” Hopkins received the Bronze Star Medal for that meritorious service. 

Dec. 7, 1941, “A Date Which Will Live in Infamy”: President Franklin D. Roosevelt asks for Declaration of War. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941 stunned virtually everyone in the United States military. Japan’s carrier-launched bombers found Pearl Harbor totally unprepared. 

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