Area veterans and cadets in the West Virginia University ROTC programs will mark the 65th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor with an 11 a.m. ceremony Thursday, Dec. 7, at Woodburn Circle on the Downtown Campus. The public is invited.
This years ceremony will be held jointly with the ROTC and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Posts 548 and 9916. The ceremony is traditionally held at Oglebay Plaza but was moved this year because of renovation work at Oglebay Hall.
The mast of the battleship USS West Virginia, which was sunk during the Japanese attack on Americas fleet, stands in Oglebay Plaza as a tribute to veterans of the war. The bell from the armored cruiser USS West Virginia, which served in World War I, also occupies a spot on the plaza.
The program will feature a 21-gun salute, and trumpeters from the WVU Marching Band will be on hand to playTaps.Representatives from the veteransgroup will be escorted into the construction zone for the traditional bell ringing and laying of wreaths.
West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw, who as a student in 1961 was instrumental in bringing the wreath back to WVU , will be the featured speaker.
Garett Michaels, commander of VFW Post 548, encourages the public to come to the ceremony and pay tribute to the war heroes from the past as well as those currently serving in the military.
Pearl Harbor is a day to honor those who passed away and served in battle to support our nations freedom,Michaels said.
The Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor was a defining moment in history. More than 2,400 U.S. military personnel and civilians died in the early morning attack that ushered America into World War II.
The USS West Virginia sank after being hit by seven torpedoes and two bombs, entombing 105 crew members. Afterward, the ship was refloated and refurbished for service during the war and was the first vessel to drop anchor in Tokyo Bay before Japan surrendered.
The ship was decommissioned after the war, and efforts began locally to have its mast transported to the WVU campus from Seattle, where the Navy was dismantling the vessel. A dedication ceremony for the mast was held March 17, 1961, and the mast was mounted in 1963.
The bell from the battle cruiser, which was decommissioned in 1930, arrived on campus six years later and was appropriately dedicated on Dec. 7, 1967, Pearl Harbor Day.
Pearl Harbor Day ceremonies have been held at Oglebay Plaza since 1975. The Plaza is also the site of campus observances and bell ringing ceremonies coordinated by Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity.