75th Pearl Harbor anniversary remembered

The year 2016 marks the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which precipitated the United States entry into World War II and where thousands of Americans were killed or wounded, and several ships and hundreds of airplanes were destroyed or damaged.  

Dec. 7, 1941 will forever be remembered, as will the words delivered by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, “A date which will live in infamy.”  

At V.F.W. Post 1371 in Owego, N.Y., dedicated in 1945 to honor Glenn A. Warner, who was killed in action in Germany during World War II, a large group gathered on Dec. 7 to pay tribute to the sacrifices made on the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. The V.F.W. Post 1371 Color Guard posted colors at the ceremony.  

Jim Raftis, Sr., Korean War veteran and Memorial Day chairman, delivered the invocation and opened the ceremony by sharing, “We remember the shock, and the

resolve and courage of a nation that knew it must stand and fight for its cherished values.”

Remembered at the ceremony was Tioga County Navy Seaman Delmar Dale Sibley, who at age 23 was killed in action aboard the U.S.S. Arizona at Pearl Harbor.  The V.F.W. dining room, where the 75th Pearl Harbor anniversary ceremony was held, is named in his honor.

Three additional Pearl Harbor survivors who have since passed away were also acknowledged, including Army Sergeant Donald Stocks and Marine Lester Dunham, both of Owego, and Army Sergeant Richard Hopkins of Berkshire.

Lee Dunham, son of Lester Dunham, shared that he was honored to speak at the ceremony, and said, “What he went through was heartbreaking, including Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal.  He told us kids that he lost a lot of his friends and wrote in his diary that he didn’t think he would make it back.”  

Owego resident, Charles William “Bill” Kennedy, Tioga County’s remaining Pearl Harbor survivor, now 95, spoke to guests about the attack, and where he was stationed at Hickam Field as a 20-year old U.S. Army Air Corps aircraft mechanic.  Asleep in his barracks when the exploding bombs first started just after 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, Kennedy was in total shock when he saw the first wave of Japanese warplanes fly over the building at tree level.

Seeking safer shelter after a bomb destroyed a fire station near his barracks, Kennedy attempted to hide inside a transformer hut.

“I couldn’t get in there, it was full of guys,” Kennedy said, and added that he sought refuge behind the hut, where he was surrounded by bomb splinters, machine gun bullets and other flying debris.

Kennedy explained that the first raid by the Japanese was on the hangars, and in between four waves of raids, he scurried to check out the condition and saw that several planes were wrecked, including what was half-destroyed new B-17’s.

After the attacks, Kennedy said food was scarce, and commented, “The boys raided the wrecked PX for whatever was left. We had a lot of sweet rolls.”

During his speech, Kennedy chuckled, “Guess what I took?” when he was presented a choice of three years stateside or two years overseas in Hawaii, Panama or the Philippines. To this day, Kennedy remains grateful that he was not part of the Philippines devastation.  

Kennedy, who maintains a keen wit, also said, “My children are glad I came back, too.”

Prior to his discharge, Kennedy acquired his pilot’s license and later worked as a pilot near his hometown of Huntingdon, Pa. and flew throughout several southern states before a new career relocated him to IBM-Owego.

Kennedy commented after the V.F.W. ceremony, “As a young boy about ten years old, I remember watching a parade in my hometown with Civil War soldiers marching.” It is Kennedy’s hope that future generations will remember his generation, too.

Additional speakers at the remembrance ceremony included New York State Senator Fred Akshar, Lockheed Martin-Owego and U.S. Navy Lt. Chaz Nelson and Tioga County resident Kenneth Viall.  All veterans attending the ceremony were recognized.

Also attending the ceremony was Karen Dotson, president of the Department of New York V.F.W. Auxiliaries, who presented Kennedy with an “American Hero” coin.

Raftis added, “Today we honor the memories of the brave Americans who gave their lives as well as all of those who stood in our defense. This day is a time to look back and remember their sacrifice for the cause of freedom.”