On the 82nd anniversary of the Pearl Harbor assault, navy servicemembers, households and one survivor of the assault gathered within the Charlestown Navy Yard to put a wreath on the World War II-era destroyer U.S.S. Cassin Young and honor the fallen.
“At 7:55 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific fleet in Pearl Harbor,” mentioned Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro on the ceremony in the usS. Constitution museum. “That fateful Sunday morning the world changed, thrusting the United States into a global conflict that would reshape the very course of history.”
That day 2,403 sailors, Marines, troopers, airmen and civilians misplaced their lives, Del Toro recounted, 1,178 had been wounded, 169 aircrafts had been destroyed, and three ships had been sunk off the island of Oahu.
The Navy chief spoke alongside Boston Commissioner of Veterans Services Robert Santiago, Massachusetts Secretary of Veterans Services Jon Santiago, National Parks of Boston Superintendent Michael Creasey, and U.S.S. Constitution Commander Billie Farrell.
The commemoration featured a wreath-laying ceremony aboard the usS. Cassin Young, named for the commander whose extraordinary actions in the course of the assault on Pearl Harbor saved his ship and people aboard.
On the day of the assault, Young was accountable for the usS. Vestal, a restore ship moored to the usS. Arizona. Young took private command of an anti-aircraft gun however was knocked overboard in a blast, audio system mentioned.
Young swam by a “blazing inferno” on the water between the 2 ships to get again to the Vestal, mentioned Farrell. As his shipmate had the six sailors aboard the sinking Arizona climb over to the Vestal, Young made it again to the ship and sailed away from the Arizona to seashore his ship, saving the crew.
The ceremony was additionally attended by one of many oldest survivors of Pearl Harbor, 103-year-old Freeman Johnson, who fought aboard the usS. St. Louis as a Machinist Mate First Class in Pearl Harbor and served by 1945.
“On this day, sir, we honor your service,” Robert Santiago mentioned, studying a certificates of appreciation from the City of Boston to Johnson. “We honor your courage. And most of all, we honor your sacrifices on behalf of a grateful nation.”
Del Toro famous the significance of respecting and honoring those that’ve sacrificed and served in occasions like Pearl Harbor.
Forged on the “courage and sacrifice of generations of Navy personnel,” the secretary mentioned, servicemembers are nonetheless upholding that status, even in simply the final three weeks deterring assaults on industrial ships within the Red Sea.
“Our nation is built upon millions of individual acts of valor and courage at home and overseas throughout our history,” Del Toro mentioned. “Each of us serving today carries the legacy of those who served before us, including those proud World War Two veterans.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”