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Post 62 remembers the day that lived in infamy

OBSERVER Photo by Rebecca Cuthbert American Legion Post 62 Commander Jim Lemanski spoke somberly Wednesday about those who served their country and sacrificed their lives during Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Bowed heads, clasped hands and reverent tones are the only appropriate ways to remember, mourn — and celebrate, too — those men and women who defended the United States when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor 75 years ago.

Commander Jim Lemanski led a ceremony Wednesday at American Legion Post 62 in honor of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, while dedicated veterans and auxiliary members listened respectfully. Lemanski’s message was clear: with so many decades having passed, carrying the torch of memory is up to those who are still living.

“So many are gone now,” he read. “The more than 2,400 men, women and children who died the day of the attack would be joined by thousands of others in the seven and a half decades since. As those able to provide firsthand accounts leave the ranks of the living, it is up to us to keep their legacies alive.”

Lemanski described how the attack on Pearl Harbor was unprecedented in its cruelty and magnitude at the time, but that the attack on Sept. 11 in 2001 felt like a painful echo of that past event.

Lemanski read how in 1941, members of the armed forces took “incredible risks” to save their friends and brothers-in-arms, and in 2011, “we saw similar courage from police officers, firefighters and first responders who entered burning buildings when logic and instinct would compel lesser people to move in the other direction.”

But that fearlessness is not spontaneous; it is a legacy passed down from members of the Greatest Generation to their sons and daughters, and then again and again, reflecting back from the eyes of babies who may never fully comprehend the bravery of their ancestors.

With pride in his voice, Lemanski remembered again that day in 1941, when the “feisty Americans” at Pearl Harbor, despite Japan’s sneak attack, still managed to destroy 29 enemy aircraft, damage 29 more and sink or beach five miniature submarines. Six American battleships that were sunk or damaged during the attack were repaired and refloated, mirroring the resiliency of a nation down but not out after such an egregious affront to its citizens’ liberty.

“For the United States, Pearl Harbor marked the beginning of a war. For Japan, it was the beginning of the end. And for those heroes of 75 years ago, we shall always be grateful,” Lemanski read.

Then, he recounted how his very own uncle was at Pearl Harbor that day, and amid the burning flames, explosions, and gunfire, American servicemen and women remained calm — first and foremost, they knew they must do their jobs, and so they did.

“He talked to me about it quite frequently,” he said. “About the planes coming in, strafing, and how everybody was just not afraid. They just went about doing what they needed to do to defend our country.”

The ceremony ended with a heartfelt “Amen” from everyone after the final prayer.

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