Mayor Joyce Craig and Angelo Camberis, a U.S. Army veteran who served during the World War II era, walk down to the Merrimack River to send a wreath downriver to commemorate Pearl Harbor Day.
Raymond Goulet, left, and Dick Rambo salute during the singing of the national anthem, which Goulet quietly joined in for, concluding the Pearl Harbor Day ceremony in Manchester on Sunday.
Noah Crinieri, left, and Isaiah Young from the West High School band play taps after the wreath was thrown at the end of the Pearl Harbor Day ceremony in Manchester Sunday.
View of “Battleship Row” during or immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The capsized USS Oklahoma is in the center, alongside the USS Maryland.
Edwin Hopkins of Swanzey was 19 when he died aboard the USS Oklahoma when it was hit by Japanese aerial torpedoes in the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The wrecked Oklahoma, which capsized during the attack, is seen here after being righted during salvage operations in 1943. U.S. Navy
The USS Arizona is seen sitting on the bottom of Pearl Harbor days after being sunk when it was bombed by the Japanese on Dec. 7, 1941. Nearly 1,200 crewmen died when the battleship exploded and sank. More than 900 could not be recovered from the wreck, which still lies on the bottom.
The USS Utah capsized after being torpedoed by the Japanese on Dec. 7, 1941. Efforts to refloat the battleship were quickly abandoned, and like the Arizona, the wreck remains sunk in Pearl Harbor today. Only four of the 58 crewmen who died aboard Utah were recovered from the wreckage.
Members of the American Legion Sweeney Post honor guard stand with arms for the national anthem during the Pearl Harbor Day ceremony.
National Archives
View of “Battleship Row” during or immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The capsized USS Oklahoma is in the center, alongside the USS Maryland.
Edwin Hopkins of Swanzey was 19 when he died aboard the USS Oklahoma when it was hit by Japanese aerial torpedoes in the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The wrecked Oklahoma, which capsized during the attack, is seen here after being righted during salvage operations in 1943. U.S. Navy
U.S. NAVY
The USS Arizona is seen sitting on the bottom of Pearl Harbor days after being sunk when it was bombed by the Japanese on Dec. 7, 1941. Nearly 1,200 crewmen died when the battleship exploded and sank. More than 900 could not be recovered from the wreck, which still lies on the bottom.
The USS Utah capsized after being torpedoed by the Japanese on Dec. 7, 1941. Efforts to refloat the battleship were quickly abandoned, and like the Arizona, the wreck remains sunk in Pearl Harbor today. Only four of the 58 crewmen who died aboard Utah were recovered from the wreckage.
Mayor Joyce Craig and Angelo Camberis, a U.S. Army veteran who served during the World War II era, walk down to the Merrimack River to send a wreath downriver to commemorate Pearl Harbor Day.
Brittany Grimes/Union Leader
Angelo Camberis saluted and faced the Merrimack River as taps was being played Sunday afternoon during Manchester’s remembrance of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Moments earlier, the 95-year-old Army veteran from Manchester threw a wreath into the river along with help from Mayor Joyce Craig as part of the annual tradition. Camberis, who entered the service during World War II and served later in Korea, was surprised by the opportunity to take part in the ceremony.
“It was one of the best crowds they had here, and it was a great gathering,” Camberis said of the nearly 100 people who came out this year.
Last Thursday marked the 82nd anniversary of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan, which led to America’s entry into World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt called it, “a date which will live in infamy.”
Retired U.S. Army Maj. Daniel Beliveau, commander of the Manchester Veterans Council, read the names of the nine Granite State servicemen — five sailors, one Marine, two soldiers and one airman — killed in the attack, who were among the 2,335 military personnel who died that day.
Raymond Goulet, left, and Dick Rambo salute during the singing of the national anthem, which Goulet quietly joined in for, concluding the Pearl Harbor Day ceremony in Manchester on Sunday.
“Most of us were not around when the attack occurred, but it is important to remember those who gave their lives for our country,” he said.
Members of the West High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps served as the honor guard for the event. West High students also played taps.
The American Legion Sweeney Post honor guard fired volleys as part of the ceremony.
Just like the past several years, Neil Valentino placed framed newspaper articles, photos and other relics from World War II, including a flag and a bugle.
‘Largest crowd’
One headline from the then-Manchester Leader and Evening Union read: “WAR!” The extra edition of the newspaper came out in the wake of the surprise attack of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
“I think this is the largest crowd that we’ve seen here in a number of years, so I want to thank you for your presence and I want to recognize the veterans who are here today and thank you for all you’ve done so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we have today,” said Mayor Joyce Craig.
U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas called the attack unprovoked and unthinkable.
‘While they had hoped to deal a blow to the United States and our ability to wage war, what they did was awaken our resolve and our ability to pursue the threat that existed and make sure that the world was once again safe for democracy and defeat fascism and authoritarianism,” he said.
He spoke of the four killed in Pearl Harbor from Manchester, including Seaman 1st Class Joseph S. Rozmus, who died aboard the USS Arizona.
“Days after the attack, his father would receive a Christmas card that he had sent before the attack to his home here in Manchester,” Pappas said. “It was something that their family cherished for generations.”
Noah Crinieri, left, and Isaiah Young from the West High School band play taps after the wreath was thrown at the end of the Pearl Harbor Day ceremony in Manchester Sunday.
Brittany Grimes photos/Union Leader
A painting of the USS Arizona Memorial and a picture of Rozmus were on display Sunday.
Before the ceremony, Bill Biser showed some of the memorabilia to his 13-year-old grandson, Kevin Carney.
Biser was born in September 1941 and remembers some of the repercussions of the war, including food rationing.
“My older sister remembers more than I do,” he said. “During the war I was a little kid growing up in Buffalo, New York.”
He went on to serve in the Army stateside in the 1960s.
“I think everyone is glad for the warm weather,” Biser said. “It is the biggest crowd I’ve seen.”
Stephen Keith of Pembroke rolled up to the ceremony in a 1943, 2½-ton Army cargo truck. He also brings it to the Pearl Harbor remembrance in Concord.
“It was made by GMC,” he said. “They made over a half a million by themselves during World War II.”
