thedrifter
12-08-08, 07:42 AM
Services honor Pearl Harbor survivors
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December 7, 2008 - 4:34 PM
SUZANNE ULBRICH
Cousins James and Adrian Gurganus were aboard the destroyer USS Reid, anchored in Pearl Harbor for repairs the morning of Dec. 7, 1941.
"I was sitting midship on the USS Reid when I saw the planes come in," Adrian Gurganus said Sunday, the 67th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
To mark the day, groups gathered Sunday to honor the Pearl Harbor survivors, those who perished in the attack and fighting that followed and to remember all who have served and are serving today.
"The following four years was much worse than that day in Pearl Harbor," Gurganus, 86, said. "The USS Reid covered at least 75 percent of every campaign in the Pacific, if not more ... When you spend so much time on a ship with men, they become your family, and we lost a lot of family during that time."
George Lanvermeier was at sea aboard the USS Enterprise en route to Pearl Harbor - his carrier's return delayed two days by inclement weather - when the attack occurred.
"When we pulled into Pearl Harbor on (Dec. 8) it was sad - unbelievable," Lanvermeier said. "We saw a battleship turned upside down - there were people trapped in it ... Ford Island, it was a mess - really tore up ... We never knew how important our carrier would be."
The First Free Will Baptist Church in Jacksonville honored Lanvermeier with a special commemorative award and played a portion of a video and interview he did with The History Channel about Pearl Harbor.
As part of their tribute to Lanvermeier and remembrance of attack, the ROTC Color Guard from Camp Lejeune presented the colors.
Later in the day, the color guard again presented the colors, this time at the American Legion, Post 265, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Ceremony, where the Gurganus cousins received special recognition.
They assisted the guest speaker, past commander of the American Legion Richard Neville, in placing a wreath at the flag during the ceremony that marked a day Neville compared to Sept. 11, 2001.
"We had no way of knowing how our parents and grandparents felt that day, until September 11, 2001 - the feeling of how and what it means when our country was attacked," he said. "It is important that America remember our history, the high points and the low points .... We survived 1941 and we will survive September 11, 2001."
Contact Topsail area reporter Suzanne Ulbrich at sulbrich@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8454.
Ellie
Comments 1 | Recommend 0
December 7, 2008 - 4:34 PM
SUZANNE ULBRICH
Cousins James and Adrian Gurganus were aboard the destroyer USS Reid, anchored in Pearl Harbor for repairs the morning of Dec. 7, 1941.
"I was sitting midship on the USS Reid when I saw the planes come in," Adrian Gurganus said Sunday, the 67th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
To mark the day, groups gathered Sunday to honor the Pearl Harbor survivors, those who perished in the attack and fighting that followed and to remember all who have served and are serving today.
"The following four years was much worse than that day in Pearl Harbor," Gurganus, 86, said. "The USS Reid covered at least 75 percent of every campaign in the Pacific, if not more ... When you spend so much time on a ship with men, they become your family, and we lost a lot of family during that time."
George Lanvermeier was at sea aboard the USS Enterprise en route to Pearl Harbor - his carrier's return delayed two days by inclement weather - when the attack occurred.
"When we pulled into Pearl Harbor on (Dec. 8) it was sad - unbelievable," Lanvermeier said. "We saw a battleship turned upside down - there were people trapped in it ... Ford Island, it was a mess - really tore up ... We never knew how important our carrier would be."
The First Free Will Baptist Church in Jacksonville honored Lanvermeier with a special commemorative award and played a portion of a video and interview he did with The History Channel about Pearl Harbor.
As part of their tribute to Lanvermeier and remembrance of attack, the ROTC Color Guard from Camp Lejeune presented the colors.
Later in the day, the color guard again presented the colors, this time at the American Legion, Post 265, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Ceremony, where the Gurganus cousins received special recognition.
They assisted the guest speaker, past commander of the American Legion Richard Neville, in placing a wreath at the flag during the ceremony that marked a day Neville compared to Sept. 11, 2001.
"We had no way of knowing how our parents and grandparents felt that day, until September 11, 2001 - the feeling of how and what it means when our country was attacked," he said. "It is important that America remember our history, the high points and the low points .... We survived 1941 and we will survive September 11, 2001."
Contact Topsail area reporter Suzanne Ulbrich at sulbrich@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8454.
Ellie