On Friday December 6, 2013, the VFW Post 2445 in Maple Shade,  hosted our annual Pearl Harbor Remembrance Service to accommodate the schoolchildren of Maple Shade. Three schools attended, Yocum , Wilkens, and Steinhauer which participated in this memorial service with 114 children and faculty in what I call ” An “Invitation to History.” The program started with the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem sung by the Steinhauer chorus. This was followed by a short dissertation of what happened on December 7, 1941 by our Mayor Rob Wells

The Yocum schoolchildren and faculty then participated in singing “Let’s Remember Pearl Harbor” a fight song that entered our country into World War II, the schoolchildren all wore sailor hats and marched around the hall as they sang. This was quite an accomplishment for those youngsters, thanks to the faculty has supervise them. Not to be outdone Maud Wilkins school children recite a poem titled “A Date that will live in Infamy. ”

Next on the agenda was a video composed by myself out captured Japanese photos getting ready to attack Pearl Harbor and actual naval photos of the attack at Pearl Harbor photographed by Navy personnel. Also included in the video was pictures and audio of Pres. Franklin D Roosevelt addressing Congress with his “date of infamy speech”. This was followed by the Navy Hymn in the moment of silence honoring those that perished on that day. This was followed by a Rifle Salute by post members and Taps.

The next part of the program was handed over to Past Commander Ron Kulig, who distributed Pearl Harbor Remembrance Lapel pins to all that attended after which refreshments were served. During this time one of the members of our posts Bill Hague displayed models of the USS Arizona and USS Missouri representing the beginning and the end of World War II.

After the lunch break and assuming the role as host, I spoke about Operation Downfall which was the plan to invade Japan starting in November 1945 with the landing on Kyushu the most southern of the islands of Japan. Led by the Supreme Allied Cmdr. in the Pacific, General Douglas MacArthur with an armada of ships that would your the Normandy D-Day invasion. Gen. MacArthur stated, this would be the largest neutralization bombardment in the Pacific war. This would be phase 1 of Operation Downfall named Operation Olympic this would be followed by Operation Coronet (second phase) scheduled for March 1946 contingent on the success of Operation Olympic.

This was the invasion that never happened and transitioned into the pages of history with the bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki that abruptly ended World War II on August 14, 1945. The conclusion of the memorial service then ended with the Steinhauer chorus singing “America the Beautiful”

I have been hosting the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Service for more than a decade, but not without the help of the commanders in the members of our post in trying to educate the school children of Maple Shade, about Country, Duty and Honor. The success of this memorial service could not be achieved without the help of VFW Post 2445 Cmdr. New York John Radie and its members.

Special thanks go to Past Cmdr. Ron Kulig, Bill Hague, Ed Honn and Jay Renwick along with other members of the posts who helped served the refreshments.

Fraternally yours – Tom Petruzzelli (Post Surgeon)