Pearl Harbor Day honors the sacrifice, memory of soldiers

LONGMONT, LOVELAND

Veterans gather to pay tribute

The Loveland Marine Corps League performs a rifle volley during the Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremony on Saturday at Dwayne Webster Veterans Park in Loveland. Ismael Gallardo, post commandant, left, calls out commands for the rest of the league. PHOTOS BY PAMELA JOHNSON — LOVELAND REPORTER-HERALD

U.S. MARINE CORPS VETERAN GIL GARCIA, LEFT, AND RESIDENT ERIC WEEDIN PERFORM TAPS DURING THE LOVELAND PEARL HARBOR DAY REMEMBRANCE CEREMONY.

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By Pamela Johnson

johnsonp@reporter-herald.com

President Franklin D. Roosevelt called Dec. 7, 1941, “a date that will live in infamy,” when more than 3,400 people were killed or injured after Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor.

Some 83 years later, Ralph Bozella, commander of American Legion Post 32 in Longmont, reminded residents why it’s so important to remember what happened that day.

“Pearl Harbor is the day when America realized we cannot exist in isolation, that freedom is not free, it comes at a great cost, and we must always be prepared to defend our values, the U.S. Constitution and our democratic-republic form of government,” Bozella said.And in Loveland, a crowd gathered at Dwayne Webster Veterans Park to remember and honor those who were killed and injured in the Pearl Harbor attack.

Webster was just 18 and serving on the U.S.S. Arizona when he was killed in the attack. Every year, Loveland residents and veterans gather in the park that bears his name to remember Pearl Harbor.

This year, the crowd honored and mourned more than just those killed at Pearl Harbor in 1941. They paid special tribute to veteran Tony DuMosch, who died on Thursday after a battle with cancer. A champion for veterans issues, DuMosh had been the driving force behind the Pearl Harbor ceremony every year since 2003.

And though he was missing from the ceremony for the first time in 21 years, DuMosh was still a presence.

Speakers mentioned his tireless devotion to veterans ceremonies and needs, and his volunteer spirit.

Organizers displayed a large photo of DuMosch, and when Mark Maxwell rang the honor bell seven times, it was in honor of those killed at Pearl Harbor and of DuMosh.

The attack on Pearl Harbor, more than eight decades ago, truly is a day that lives in infamy, as is Sept. 11, 2001, said Maj. Gen Steve Best, who spoke at the ceremony. It is important to keep honoring those days as time goes on and as more and more people do not have actual memories of that day, Best said.

When Best asked how many at the ceremony were alive in 1941, only a handful raised their hands. Yet, more than 50 were there in honor of Pearl Harbor Day.

As Best said, “We must always remember.”