7, 2015, to honor the sacrifices made by those who fought and lost their lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor 74 years ago.įrom engagement to peace, the U.S. Navy co-hosted the 74th Anniversary Pearl Harbor Day Commemoration Dec. One of his jobs was to repair wood deck planks destroyed when a plane crashed on the deck.JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii –The National Park Service and U.S. Frey's father had to sign off on him joining the military at age 17. He grew up in Albany and served in the Navy aboard an aircraft carrier. A Navy breakfast was served.Īmong the handful of World War II veterans in the audience was Ralph Frey, 88, of Colonie. The ceremony featured a rifle salute, the playing of taps and the national anthem, and official remarks. On Monday, at least 100 veterans, active service members and elected officials filled the Legion post's event hall on Everett Road Extension to pay respect to those who were lost 74 years ago. Told that her husband is among the last Pearl Harbor survivors in upstate New York, she replied, "Oh, dear." The couple were engaged before Edward Bartholomew left for the Hawaiian base. He can still play the piano but can't describe his experiences from the war, his wife, Barbara Bartholomew, said Monday. into World War II is Edward Bartholomew, who lives in Van Rensselaer Manor in Troy.īartholomew, 94, served aboard the battleship USS Pennsylvania, which was in drydock at the time of the attack and was strafed and bombed. The only known witness in the Albany area to the events that thrust the U.S. Langston, of Latham, died a little over a month later at the age of 93, another voice silenced by the passage of time. By 2014, only William Langston, a former fireman first class aboard the battleship USS West Virginia, could make it. Six Pearl Harbor survivors from the Capital Region attended the Legion's remembrance day ceremony in Albany in 2012. The national Pearl Harbor Survivors Association disbanded in 2012. The last surviving officer of the Arizona died in February at age 100 and fewer than 10 of the ship's crew are alive. warship, according to the National Park Service. fatalities in the attack and the greatest loss of life ever in an attack on a U.S. The Arizona was sunk with the loss of 1,177 crew members, nearly half the total U.S. The dearth of Pearl Harbor survivors is not just a local phenomenon: Only 2,000 to 2,500 were believed to be alive two years ago, according to Eileen Martinez, chief of interpretation for the USS Arizona Memorial. USS Slater volunteers and members of the Albany County Veterans Service Bureau and Zaloga American Legion decided to continue holding the event without witnesses. "It leaves a real gap in the ceremony," said Esposito, president of the Destroyer Escort Historical Museum at the USS Slater. He said it's a sad milestone because those who lived through the attack inspired so many people. For the first time since military veterans began holding the commemoration breakfast, no Pearl Harbor survivors were able to attend, according to Tony Esposito, master of ceremonies. About 84,000 American military personnel survived the attack.īut on Monday - 74 years later - Pearl Harbor survivors from the Capital Region were gone. Pacific fleet and other military sites nearby killed 2,403 Americans, wounded more than 1,000 and damaged or destroyed 18 ships and 347 planes.
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