Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day; Ceremony planned for December 7 at the VFW in Owego

Owego’s Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is privileged to have the families of four Pearl Harbor Survivors, whose resilience and courage have echoed through the annals of history. Their loved ones, who stood tall in the face of an unforeseen enemy attack, symbolize the very essence of heroism and sacrifice. 

One of the five from Owego and Berkshire is a remarkable individual, a living testament to history, and one who still serves aboard the USS Arizona. The presence of the four surviving families connects us to the past in a tangible way, bridging the gap between the echoes of World War II. 

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is set to host a special Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day event on Thursday, Dec. 7, at 12:55 p.m. (the time of the attack) at the VFW Post, located at 207 Main St. in Owego.

Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack by the Japanese on the U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii, marking the entry of the United States into World War II. It occurred on Sunday morning, Dec. 7, 1941, causing significant damage to the fleet and leading to the U.S. declaration of war against Japan.

Twenty-three-year-old Navy Seaman Sibley was aboard the USS Arizona. After a bomb detonated in a powder magazine, the battleship exploded violently and sank, with the loss of 1,117 officers and crewmen. 

Two waves of bombers, torpedoes, and strafing from 353 Japanese aircraft on that early Sunday morning killed 2,403 Americans. Unlike many 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 39, 1962 to all those who died during the attack, straddles the ship’s hull.

The late 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.”

Army Sergeant Donald Stocks of Owego was at Hickam Air Force Field. He was a cook. He left his kitchen and grabbed a rifle to fight. Upon returning home to resume dairy farming he did not tell his family much. He did not like to swim, but on Dec. 7 he learned quickly with a wounded person on his back. 

Hickam had 754 officers and 6,706 enlisted men, with 233 aircraft assigned at its three primary bases. When the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Oahu, its planes bombed and strafed Hickam to eliminate air opposition and prevent American aircraft from following them back to their aircraft carriers. Hickam suffered extensive damage and aircraft losses, with 189 people killed and 303 wounded. 

Army Sergeant Richard Hopkins of Berkshire enlisted on April 2, 1940 and arrived in Honolulu on June 17, 1840. He was assigned to the 24th Infantry Division Schofield Barracks at the time of the attack.

He remembers the planes coming in and bombs dropping. It is something you do not forget. He recalled looking out of his barracks. “They were hauling wounded on cars and trucks, anything they could get them on to rush them to the hospital.”

Hopkins also spent 21 days on the front lines of Guadalcanal against the Japanese who “would not surrender.” The Guadalcanal Campaign was a series of intense battles between Allied and Japanese forces for control of the island. The Allies secured a strategic airfield, gaining a foothold in the Solomon Islands and initiating the island-hopping strategy. 

Hopkins received the Bronze Star Medal for that meritorious combat service. The Bronze Star is one of the most prestigious awards for valor in the U.S. military. 

Marine Machine Gun Crewman Lester “Buster” Dunham of Owego was on guard duty from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. He just came back from breakfast. He was only 200 yards from the ships being sunk. He helped pull men out of the water – some alive and some dead.

“Buster” fought in five major battles: Pearl Harbor, then Midway – a pivotal naval battle. The U.S. forces, despite being outnumbered, dealt a decisive blow to the Japanese fleet. It marked a turning point in the Pacific War, shifting the balance in favor of the Allies. 

Over to Guadalcanal, then Tulagi – part of the Guadalcanal Campaign. It involved the capture of Tulagi by U.S. Marines. It was a significant step in securing the southern perimeter of the Guadalcanal airfield and establishing a base for further operations. 

Then Iwo Jima, where he was a forward observer for the artillery. The U.S. launched a major amphibious assault, aiming to capture its strategic airfields. The battle was fierce and intense, lasting over a month. American forces ultimately secured victory, raising the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi, a moment immortalized in the iconic photographs by Joe Rosenthal. The battle had a high cost for both sides. 

“Buster” spent from 1941 to 1946 in the Pacific War. In combat he took a piece of steel. In 1956 he married and had five children. The proud Marine retired from IBM after 28 years. 

Gordon Ichikawa of Owego will share the story of his mother, Kiyo, who lived on the West Coast when war broke out. She spent three years in a Japanese – American Concentration Camp in Oregon and Idaho during the duration of the war. He’ll proudly talk about his father, the late and past VFW Owego Commander, 1996-1997, Thomas Ichikawa. Tommy enlisted in the Army on Dec. 8, 1941. He was wounded in combat in Italy. He received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

Eighty-two years ago everything changed for the United States. It was a day that our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles would never forget, a day that would live in infamy forever – December 7, 1941. 

Email jraftis1@gmail.com with your Pearl Harbor memories.