ANOTHER TOPIC THAT WE RECEIVED A NUMBER OF LETTERS ABOUT RECENTLY ARE OUR MILITARY VETERANS. AND MANY VETERANS OBSERVED AN IMPORTANT DAY IN HISTORY THIS WEEK. WEDNESDAY MARKED THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR.
ON DECEMBER 7, 1941, JAPAN’S NAVY AND AIR FORCE LAUNCHED A SURPRISE ATTACK ON THE U.S. NAVAL BASE IN HAWAII. THE ATTACK BROUGHT THE U.S. INTO WORLD WAR II.
EARLIER THIS WEEK, DOZENS OF SURVIVORS OF THE ATTACK ALONG WITH OTHER WORLD WAR TWO VETERANS FLEW INTO HAWAII.
THEY WERE GREETED BY HUNDREDS OF SUPPORTERS AS THEY KICK-OFF AN HISTORIC WEEK OF EVENTS..
ELYSSA AREVALO WAS AT THE AIRPORT…
IT WAS A WELCOME FIT FOR A HERO AND RIGHTFULLY SO..... ONE BY ONE....75 PEARL HARBOR SURVIVORS AND WORLD WAR II VETERANS ALONG WITH THEIR FAMILIES WERE WELCOMED SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH MUSIC AND CHEERS AT THE HONOLULU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (HOWARD BENDER, PEARL HARBOR SURVIVOR) "I FEEL GREAT, I THINK THIS IS A GREAT HONOR AND I'M PROUD TO BE HERE." (KEN ALLRED, WORLD WAR II VETERAN) "ITS HARD FOR ME TO COMPREHEND THAT I'M HERE."
EMOTIONS COULD BE FELT ALL OVER THE TERMINAL.
(KEN ALLRED, WORLD WAR II VETERAN) "IT WAS A GREAT FLIGHT AND EVERYBODY WAS SO GOOD TO US. IT'S UNBELIEVABLE. I DONT HAVE THE WORDS TO SAY WHAT I WANT TO SAY. ITS JUST GREAT"
(JIM PALMERSHEIM, AMERICAN AIRLINES) "TO BE ON THE AIRPLANE WITH THESE GUYS. WE HAD A GENTLEMAN WHO IS 100 YEARS OLD BUT THE SMILES ON THE FACES AND THE STORIES THESE GUYS TELL AND THE SENSE OF HUMOR. ITS GREAT TO BE A FLY ON THE WALL AROUND THESE GUYS, IT DOESN'T GET BORING" U-S NAVY VETERAN HOWARD BENDER WAS JUST 19 YEARS OLD WHEN THE ATTACK HAPPENED....HE TELLS ME REMEMBERS SEEING CREW MEMBERS BEING RESCUED FROM THE USS OKLAHOMA AFTER THE ATTACK
(HOWARD BENDER, PEARL HARBOR SURVIVOR) "IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE THAT IF I HAD TO DO IT AGAIN I WOULD DO IT, EVEN AT MY AGE." BENDER SAYS HE HOPES THE FUTURE GENERATIONS NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE THREATS THAT FACE OUR COUNTRY.
(HOWARD BENDER, PEARL HARBOR SURVIVOR) "REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR AND KEEP AMERICA ALERT" THE HONOR FLIGHT WAS DONATED BY AMERICAN AIRLINES... THOSE WHO FLEW WITH THE VETS SAY IT WAS A HUMBLING EXPERIENCE, INCLUDING ACTOR GARY SINISE, A LONGTIME ADVOCATE FOR MILITARY VETERANS.
(GARY SINISE, ACTOR) "THESE ARE OUR FREEDOM PROVIDERS AND WE CANT TAKE THAT FOR GRANTED, WHAT THEY DID HERE AND ALL THOSE MANY YEARS AGO, WE CONTINUE TO BENEFIT FROM THAT" "IF THEY WOULD'VE NOT BEEN ABLE TO WIN THAT WAR, WE'D ALL BE LIVING IN A VERY DIFFERENT WORLD"
Instructional Links
Website Article: Ducksters, WW II, Attack on Pearl Harbor
http://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_ii/pearl_harbor_attack.php
Video: INFOhio Digital Video Collection, The complete history of U.S. wars, 1941 Japanese Bomb Pearl Harbor
https://dvc.infohio.org/search/?videoid=11047
May Need Password
Website Article: National Park Service, National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
https://www.nps.gov/valr/learn/historyculture/national-pearl-harbor-remembrance-day.htm
Website: Pearl Harbor Memorials, Attack of Pearl Harbor
https://pearlharbormemorials.com/category/pearl-harbor-history/attack-of-pearl-harbor/