Hickam Officials Pay Tribute To Airmen's Storied Legacy
(December 12, 2009) |
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Master Sgt. John Sieh salutes the flag as F-15 Eagles fly a missing man formation Dec. 7, 2009, during the 68th Remembrance Ceremony at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. The ceremony marked the anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941, attacks on Pearl Harbor Navy fleet and the Army Air Corps fields of Hickam, Wheeler and Bellows. Sergeant Sieh
is from the 15th Airlift Wing protocol office
and the F-15s are from the 199th Fighter
Squadron, Hawaii Air National Guard. |
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HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (12/8/2009 -
AFNS) -- Airmen and their families gathered at
Hickam Air Force Base's historic flag pole Dec.
7, for the 68th remembrance ceremony to honor
those men and women who lost their lives in the
Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor.
"On a similar morning 68 years ago on these very
grounds, our world changed forever," said Col.
Giovanni Tuck, the 15th Airlift Wing commander.
"The Japanese attack on Hickam Field, 'a day
that will live in infamy,' stated by the
president to Congress, was one of the defining
moments in U.S. military history," he said.
The Hickam AFB honor guard raised the flag while
the Pacific Air Forces Band performed the
national anthem. Four F- 15 Eagles from the
Hawaii Air National Guard flew a four-ship
missing man formation during the ceremony.
The Hickam Air Force Base ceremony featured a
performance of "Lest We Forget," a song written
by Chief Master Sgt. Larry MacTaggart, a member
of the Pacific Air Forces Band. The event
coincided with a ceremony conducted by the Navy
at the |
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Arizona Memorial. At the end,
the honor guard's rifle report from a
three-volley salute resounded over Atterbury
Circle, the site of the flag pole. "Taps"
followed. |
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"The story of the largest airborne attack force ever
assembled by the Imperial Japanese navy is one worth
remembering just as it was," said Hawaii Lieutenant Governor
James Aiona Jr., the guest speaker. "No exaggeration is
needed for effect. No tall tale is needed to help us
remember. It is a story that lives forever in our hearts and
it has united us in a common memory."
An unannounced military strike conducted by the Japanese
against the U.S. naval base and Army Air Corps air fields on
the island of Oahu, Hawaii, just before 8 a.m., thrust the
U.S. into World War II. The Japanese navy launched from the
decks of aircraft carriers with the intent to cripple the
U.S. Navy fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor.
Stories of heroism provided a glimpse into the past; stories
about Airmen watching the first wave of attacks from the
windows in their homes immediately recognizing the call of
duty, despites pleas from their wives to stay home; stories
about civilians who understood the need to save important
financial documentation, eventually giving their lives in
the attempt; and stories about an officer who opened a
manhole cover during the attack to protect fleeing men from
the consolidated barracks, giving his life in the effort to
save every man who entered the whole.
"The attack on Dec. 7, 1941 steeled America's resolve and
brought out the best in our nation during its darkest hour,"
Governor Aiona said. "Which I believe is a testament to all
those involved."
Several Hickam Field survivors of the attacks and their
family members were among the guests in the crowd. Sylvia
Phillips is the widow of retired Maj. Claude Phillips, then
a technical sergeant who rushed to a hangar to man the gun
of a damaged B-17. He is credited with shooting down a
Japanese Zero and was awarded the Silver Star for his
actions.
Retired Col. Vane Ward Burnett, represented by his widow
Helen Hurnett and sons, Ira and George, was an aviation
cadet on duty at Hickam Field's communications center. He
witnessed the attack on Hickam Field and Pearl Harbor from
the second floor windows of the building. Colonel Burnett
passed away in Nov. 21, 2009.
Col. Sam Barrett, from the 15th AW vice commander,
represented his mother's cousin, Tech. Sgt. Charles Brunson,
who survived the multiple Japanese attacks on Hickam. He was
killed six months later in New Zealand as a crewman aboard a
B-17 that crashed during take off with a full bomb load.
Retired Col. Andrew Kowalski was a master sergeant in the
consolidated barracks now the Pacific Air Forces
headquarters. On the morning of the attacks he was
designated the casualty control officer.
"It was a fancy name for counting the dead," Colonel
Kowalski said. "The bodies were laid out everywhere. It was
a sad day seeing people trying to identify who was still
alive; very traumatic."
After witnessing the ceremony 68 years after the infamous
day he survived, he fought to choke back tears remembering
and talking about the events that transpired.
"Events like this bring back these memories," the
95-year-old man said. "You feel grateful and humble that the
good Lord has given you this long life and you hope that you
have used it rather than abused it."
The veteran's stories from that day are becoming more and
more legendary as the generation to have survived this
attack gets older.
"They help us perpetuate the legacy of that fateful day as a
living tribute to the character and service to an entire
nation," said Governor Aiona. "Sixty-eight years later we
continue to gather with great conviction to honor those
brave men and women who lost their lives. In all, 189 men
died at Hickam Field, members of the greatest generation --
gone."
To the veterans and their surviving family members present,
"We draw from all of you great strength and know you have
placed a sacred trust in all of us who wear the uniform,"
Colonel Tuck said. "You have entrusted our great nation into
your very capable hands. We will not let you down. You are
the foundation on which our United States Air Force stands
and will certainly not forget." | |
Article and photo by USAF SSgt. Mike Meares
15th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Copyright 2009
Reprinted from
Air Force News Service
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