The 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor

On December 7th, I was privileged to attend the 75th Anniversary commemoration of the Pearl Harbor attack at the World War II Memorial in Washington. Several Pearl Harbor survivors and other veterans of World War II were in attendance and were honored. They also assisted in the laying of wreaths along what is called “freedom wall.”

Former Members of WWII Memorial Site and Design Committee
(Frank Moore, Pat Foote & Rolly Kidder, taken December 7, 2016)

It was a cold but beautiful day at the Memorial. The Navy Ceremonial Band played and there were probably a thousand people gathered around the Rainbow Pool which is the architectural centerpiece of the Memorial. You become overcome with the “Americana” of it all. The Lincoln Memorial stands majestically in the background and the Washington Monument rises off to the East. Surrounding the plaza and pool are 56 granite pillars, each representing the states and territories that contributed to the war effort and made victory possible. They are connected by huge bronze ropes symbolizing the unity of the nation at that time. Never in the history of our country has the nation been more united.

Some of the World War II veterans attending had been flown in by Honor Flight from Austin, Texas. Honor Flight is a totally volunteer effort by communities around the country and was created to insure that World War II veterans would have a chance to see their Memorial. It has expanded so that now Korean War and Vietnam veterans can also visit the memorials that honor their service. There have been veterans from Chautauqua County who have participated in flights from Western New York and the Buffalo/Rochester area.

The highlight of the ceremony was a powerful and very personal speech made by Senator John McCain. Both his father and grandfather served in the Navy during World War II and both attained the rank of four star Admiral during their naval careers. McCain still remembers Pearl Harbor Day in 1941 when as a 5 year-old, on a Sunday afternoon, a Navy car pulled into the driveway of his family’s home in Connecticut to inform his father that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor and that he must immediately return to the Naval base. In John McCain’s words: “I rarely saw him for the next four years.” Like every family who lived during that time, his family was personally affected by the declaration of war. 

There is a saying about veterans that “all gave some, but some gave all."  
This could also be said about some families…

John McCain’s grandfather became one of the leading naval officers of the War and served as one of the commanders in Admiral “Bull” Halsey’s Fast Carrier Attack Force in the Pacific. The pressure and stress of war took their toll. Senator McCain related a story I had not heard before. On the day his grandfather returned home after the end of the Second World War, “exhausted from the burdens of war,” he died. He had given the country his all. He had no more to give. 

I have always held Senator McCain in high regard. Part of that comes from the fact that we are both Vietnam Navy veterans. However, very few veterans of that war went through the five years of imprisonment that John McCain did after being shot down over North Vietnam. After retiring from the Navy, John McCain has gone on to serve his state and country for another 30 years in the Congress and the Senate, and was also a candidate for President of the United States.

Families like the McCain’s make you proud to be an American. There is a saying about veterans that “all gave some, but some gave all.” This could also be said about some families… including that of Senator John McCain.

Rolland Kidder