COMPACAF Speech: Dec. 7 Remembrance Ceremony (Hickam Field) Published Dec. 8, 2011 By Gen. Gary North Pacific Air Forces commander Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii -- Good morning everyone. Col Barrett, thank you for that kind introduction. And thank you to the men and women of the 15th Wing for putting this ceremony together. It is easily the most important day in Hickam Field's history, and the hard work you put into planning and executing the events of this week is evident. Specifically, I would like to thank Lt Col Brian Hill and his team. Thank you to our Honor Guard, escorts, and the men and women of the 199th and 19th Fighter Squadrons for that well executed flyby. And a special thank you to Miss Jessie Higa for her help. For all of you who had a part in planning this event...thanks. It is absolutely necessary that we preserve the history of this field, and the history of the people who were on this field on December 7th, 1941. Before we begin, I think we should all stand up and give a round of applause to the people we are here to celebrate...our veterans from the attacks on December 7th and our veterans from World War II. We are humbled to stand before them today and we owe them a round of applause. We are honored that ten survivors of that fateful day join us for this event. To the veterans here today; to the family members who join them; to the over 100 other family members of Hickam Field survivors and World War II veterans here this morning - THANK YOU for being here. I cannot express how grateful we are to have you with us. This ceremony is about you. This ceremony is for you. This ceremony is in honor of you. The storied history of our Air Force begins with you. 70 years ago you were forced to go to war when you were attacked by an enemy who sought to destroy your ability along with your will to fight back. They sought to strike a devastating blow to our ships in port. They sought to destroy the aircraft on the ramps here at Hickam Field. They sought to destroy you, our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines in service on Oahu, and worse, they sought to destroy the American spirit, hoping to win quick victory by making your families and fellow Americans retreat in fear and refuse to fight back. Oh how they underestimated you! For while you may have had limited means with which to fight back, they could never destroy your will! You leapt from your beds. You manned machine guns on this very field. You struggled to save your aircraft. You grabbed your .45 caliber pistols from your hip and you shot back! Your families and your fellow Americans did not retreat in fear. They unleashed love and support through the hugs of a concerned spouse, the letters of a caring family, and the commitment of a grateful nation. 70 years later we are here for you. We are here to tell your story. We have a responsibility to you and to our nation's history to protect it and preserve it. This is exactly what we do here at Hickam. The flagpole behind me is the same one that was here on December 7th, 1941. The Pacific Air Forces Headquarters sits behind me to my left, a building that was originally your barracks, and home to you and over 3,000 of your fellow Airmen. December 7th is a story woven into our national fabric, stretching across all 50 states. We are honored today by the presence of over 100 guests from Manchester, New Hampshire. On this 70th anniversary the Manchester High School Band has travelled out here to remember 3 of their school's alumni killed in action on Oahu. One of those alumni was an Airman here on Hickam Field. Private First Class Joseph Jedrysik, Manchester High School Class of '39. Known as "Little Joe," Private Jedrysik was killed in action while manning a machine gun right here in this field. He died while protecting this very flag pole and trying to save Old Glory. I would like to individually recognize our ten survivors with us this morning. MR. MAX BAKER: Private Baker was lying in his bed thinking about getting up and getting some breakfast. He lived on the second floor of the barracks. After the attacks began he was one of the men who ran out to the flightline. As he tried to save a B-17 the second wave of Japanese fighters came down on them, strafing the aircraft they were trying to save. In that second raid, a bomb with a delayed fuze penetrated the barracks, killing two and wounding others. When Max got back to his room he found everything destroyed except for a pair of socks and a Bible given to him by his grandmother before he came overseas. Inscribed in the front cover it says, "Give God the morning's first minutes and He will bless the day's long hours." Max was kind enough to donate his Bible to us where it is proudly on display in our headquarters. Max went on to serve in Guadalcanal, New Georgia and Admiralty Islands, serving 4 years, 4 months and 11 days overseas. Mr. Baker - thank you Sir, for your courage, your service, your sacrifice, and your example. MR. FRED BROWN: Mr. Brown served in the military but had recently accepted a civilian job with the Hawaiian Air Depot. On the morning of the attack he was having breakfast at the home of a friend. He recalls seeing planes just overhead at treetop level and he raced to the south end of the flight line where he volunteered to help disperse high value items from the supply warehouses. Mr. Brown - thank you Sir, for your courage, your service, your sacrifice, and your example. MR. OVIE E. COBB: Private First Class Cobb was a member of the 23d Materiel Squadron. And just yesterday, as our luck would have it, we met this hero in our very own Courtyard of Heroes. And we are certainly glad we found you so that you could be a part of this ceremony with us. After we leave here this morning we are going over to the Courtyard of Heroes and dedicating a plaque to the 238 men who died defending Hickam Field, Wheeler Field, and Bellows Field - 10 of which were part of the 23d Materiel Squadron. Mr. Cobb - thank you Sir, for your courage, your service, your sacrifice, and your example. COLONEL COLIN JONES: Private Jones was also in bed in the barracks when the attack began. He raced to the ammunitions storage houses and was in an operations shack when he suffered a direct hit. He was awarded a Purple Heart for his injuries and went to flight school 24 days later. Two years later, on Dec, 22nd, 1943 he had to bail out of his B-24 over Europe while fighting in the European Theater and spent 17 months in a German POW camp. He went from an Army brat playing ball on the island, whose father served with Black Jack Pershing fighting Pancho Villa, to the operations clerk on 7 December, to pilot, POW and subsequently a very successful engineer. Colonel Jones - thank you Sir, for your courage, your service, your sacrifice, and your example. LT COL DANIEL J. JONES: Staff Sergeant Jones was on his way over to base ops when he saw a formation of planes heading for Hickam. He watched one plane veer off and drop a bomb on Hangar 35 - THE FIRST BOMB TO HIT HICKAM FIELD. He was carrying a .45 caliber pistol and fired a few shots...potentially the first shots fired back at the Japanese from Hickam Field that morning. Colonel Jones - thank you Sir, for your courage, your service, your sacrifice, and your example. MR. ELLSWORTH "BUD" JUNG: Private Jung was also in the barracks that morning. After getting out of the barracks he assembled with other men on the baseball diamond just to the south of the building. He then manned a machine gun position on the Hickam perimeter. A flight engineer on B-17's, his squadron moved to Wheeler and flew missions in the newly arrived B-17's that showed up 9 days after the attacks and subsequently flew in the Northern Solomon Islands campaign, where his unit did great work, including what perhaps was the first Air-Sea battle integration effort, some 70 years before today's current efforts. Mr. Jung - thank you Sir, for your courage, your service, your sacrifice, and your example. TSGT FRANK KARAS: Private Karas was also in his bed in the barracks that morning. He believes his decision to sleep in that morning saved his life. When attacked, he went straight to the ammunitions storage bunkers and started distributing weapons and ammo. Sergeant Karas - thank you Sir, for your courage, your service, your sacrifice, and your example. COLONEL ANDREW KOWALSKI: First Sergeant Kowalski was in his NCO quarters on 14th street that morning. He recalls seeing the low flying Japanese fighters at treetop level. He was the First Sergeant of the 14th Reconnaissance Squadron and went straight to the Wing Headquarters building where he assisted the commander. Colonel Kowalski - thank you Sir, for your courage, your service, your sacrifice, and your example. MR. LOUIS "LOU" ROFFMAN: Technical Sergeant Roffman was asleep in the barracks as well. Remember the attack was on Sunday, and like most Airmen, Technical Sergeant Roffman had a fun evening the night before. He credits his decision to sleep in on Sunday with saving his life. He decided to skip breakfast, and he got out of the barracks just before the mess hall was hit. He went out to the flightline and tried taxiing one of his B-17s into a hangar when he was attacked by Japanese Zeros that hit his #3 engine and propeller. That didn't stop him, though, for at daybreak the next morning he was on a B-17 searching for the Japanese carriers. Mr. Roffman - thank you Sir, for your courage, your service, your sacrifice, and your example. MAJOR ROBERT WOODRUFF: Master Sergeant Woodruff was asleep in the barracks as well. He was so alarmed to be woken up by the attack, he immediately sprang from his bed and ran outside...only to realize he was still in his birthday suit! He quickly ran back in and got dressed, and proceeded back outside to join the others. Major Woodruff - thank you Sir, for your courage, your service, your sacrifice, and your example. We have family members of other Hickam Field warriors with us here today as well. To the family members present, please know that we will never forget the service and sacrifices made by you, your husbands, fathers, or grandfathers and how you honor their memory with the respective associations and groups that join together to interweave the history and the legacy of valor and service of those that have "gone west" and are here today in formation in spirit. You should all know that our Air Force is strong today because of you. We strive to make sure that what you experienced will never happen again. Just as you took charge in World War II our Airmen today work diligently around the clock and around the world to ensure the peace and prosperity you earned us. We are guided by your example...your efforts in that horrific war as our "greatest generation" guaranteed our freedoms as our nation moved forward. Each of you and those that served alongside you should be very proud of your courage, your service and your sacrifice from the early dark days immediately following the 7th of December through the end of World War II and beyond. At 9 pm on that Sunday evening, December 7th, 1941, as you tried to recover the wounded and salvage the wreckage, a young Airman named Durward Swanson looked over and saw Old Glory still flying. He grabbed his buddy to go take it down. And they came to this very flag pole and lowered the proudest symbol of our country. On a day when so much had fallen, Old Glory had survived. That flag was showcased throughout the country. It helped build support for war bonds in World War II. It flew over the Potsdam Conference that ended World War II in Europe and it flew over the White House during the Japanese surrender. And it flew over our headquarters in Japan after the surrender of Japan in Tokyo Bay. Today it is proudly displayed in our PACAF Headquarters ...viewed by thousands and respected by all. If only it could talk....for surely, even as we do today when we see Old Glory flying, to see it flying throughout the 7th on this very flagpole, it must have given everyone who saw it a shot of resolve and direction to get to the job at hand. We are proud to showcase it at every opportunity. And because that flag is such a powerful symbol, on behalf of our Pacific Air Forces and the Airman who serve today, I want to present our flag, Old Glory, to each of you. In memory of the men you lost at the various attack sites during the Attack on Oahu, this past week these flags flew at Hickam Field, Wheeler Field, Bellows Field, over the USS Arizona memorial, and in our Headquarters, your former barracks, in a place we call the Courtyard of Heroes. They then flew over the Punchbowl national cemetery. And just this morning each of these flags flew here, in Atterbury Circle, in honor of you, and of all the men you lost on that fateful morning. We mourn the dead from our battles past and pray for their families and for those that fight today to preserve our collective freedoms. We must remember the battles and understand the tragedy...and honor the memories...let our grief help us to remember all who died here, those who's futures were taken from them, so that we might have the world we live in today and always be mindful of and respect the freedoms they gave to us by their sacrifices. To the veterans from Hickam Field and their families; to the veterans of World War II, and all of the family members with us today; thank you for your service. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for showing us the way. Our nation is forever indebted to you. Our Air Force is a direct reflection of you. May God Bless each of you, your families, our Air Force and God Bless America!