A ceremony to remember those lost in the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor also took time to remember those who are still lost from all wars: the missing in action and prisoners of war.
Paul Levesque, the president of Rolling Thunder NC-5, a nonprofit group focused on accountability for American POWs/MIAs, said that 83,000 Americans are still missing. He said that 79,000 of them were lost during World War II. The organization's Missing Man table was set with six chairs and the official cover of each of the services — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard — and a civilian cap placed on each empty plate in commemoration of those who still haven't made it home.
The speaker at the event, George M. Barrows Sr., was one of the three World War II veterans in attendance. Barrows joined the Marine Corps in 1945 and served for 22 years before retiring. He served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
Barrows spoke about the attack on Pearl Harbor from a historical perspective. He said the Japanese wanted to launch a surprise attack to destroy the U.S. Naval fleet before an official announcement of war was made.
At 7:55 a.m., the first bomb was dropped on the American Pacific Fleet. More than 4,000 Americans were either killed or injured in the attack, 21 ships were sunk or damaged and 188 aircraft were destroyed.
That attack brought the United States into World War II.
Members of the Jacksonville High School Chorus, who performed a selection of patriotic songs during the event, said that remembrances like these are important, even after all these years, because of respect.
"You're giving honor to the lost," Cheyenne Caraballo, a senior, said. "You're showing respect that they gave such a sacrifice."
Curlissa Jefferson, a junior, said the number of dead at Pearl Harbor shocked her.
"If it was your family, how would you feel? That's why we should honor them," she said.
Tanner Lilly, a sophomore, said that remembrance is important because Pearl Harbor was, and still is, meaningful, especially to those in the Armed Services.
"All service members are part of one body — it doesn't matter when or where they served," he said.
The Jacksonville Fire Department was on hand to present colors at the event. Firefighter Mike Barone, who comes from a large military family, believes that no one should ever forget who fights for our freedoms.
"(The Armed Service members) allow us to have our freedoms," he said.
And what they have faced in our history bears remembering.
"We should never forget who we are or where we came from," he said.
Contact Daily News Reporter Tabitha Clark at 910-219-8454 or Tabitha.Clark@jdnews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @TabithaLClark or friend her on Facebook.
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