DAY OF INFAMY STILL LIVES IN VETS' HEARTS.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
Ellis Simon stood next to the flagpole at the Jewish Home for the Aging early Friday, watching the informal color guard walk slowly across the courtyard. ``Fall in,'' the former Marine yelled yell v. yelled, yell·ing, yells v.intr. To cry out loudly, as in pain, fright, surprise, or enthusiasm. v.tr. To utter or express with a loud cry. See Synonyms at shout. n. , letting out a laugh as a few of the men tell him to hold his horses - they're walking as fast as they can. They're all World War II veterans in their late 70s, 80s, and a few in their early 90s - in no rush to fall in anywhere, except maybe bed. The 6 a.m. reveille call that started their day in the service as young men 60 years ago is a 9 a.m. alarm clock in retirement, and no one's complaining. From Veterans Day on Nov. 11 through Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor, land-locked harbor, on the southern coast of Oahu island, Hawaii, W of Honolulu; one of the largest and best natural harbors in the E Pacific Ocean. In the vicinity are many U.S. military installations, including the chief U.S. Day today, many of the 30 WWII WWII abbr. World War II WWII World War Two veterans living here have taken turns falling in most mornings to salute the American flag as it's run up the pole to start another day. They do it out of respect for their country, and the men and women who lost their lives when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor 62 years ago today, drawing the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. into World War II. ``As long as I have an ounce of energy left, I'll raise that flag,'' says 92-year-old Jules Berlinsky, who fought with the Third Army at the Battle of the Bulge Battle of the Bulge, popular name in World War II for the German counterattack in the Ardennes, Dec., 1944–Jan., 1945. It is also known as the Battle of the Ardennes. On Dec. . Today is a big day for many of these men because it represents a major turning point in their lives. When they turned on their radios Dec. 8, 1941, and heard President Franklin Roosevelt tell them about the attack on Pearl Harbor the day before, they stopped being teenage boys and became men. They went out and joined hundreds of thousands of other young men across this country, and enlisted in the service. No one had to ask them. They just knew what they had to do. Their country - our country - was under attack, and nothing was more important in their lives at that moment then to defend it. ``People forget because it's been so long ago, but on Dec. 8, we didn't even know if we were going to have a country anymore,'' said Bert Harrison, who served in Europe with an Army armored division Ar´mored division 1. (Mil.) a division of a land army which is equipped with armored vehicles such as tanks or armored personnel carriers. . ``We didn't know where they were going to hit us next - maybe right in our own back yard where our mothers, sisters, wives, and girlfriends lived,'' he said. ``We couldn't let that happen.'' So guys like Fred Henschel, Bill Mednick, Al Heyman, Bert, and Ellis went to the nearest recruiting office recruiting office n → caja de reclutas recruiting office n → bureau m de recrutement recruiting office recruit n (Mil , raised their right hand and vowed to go finish the fight started at Pearl Harbor. They and the other veterans living here are being honored today during the Jewish Home's ``Walk of Ages'' 5K walk/run fund-raiser. They've each been to the Pearl Harbor Memorial in Hawaii, the men say - each said a silent prayer and dropped a wreath over the side for the more than 1,000 fellow servicemen buried in that watery grave Watery Grave is the third historical mystery novel about Sir John Fielding by Bruce Alexander. Plot summary When the captain of a British warship falls overboard and drowns, a Naval court martial is convened to investigate a charge of murder. . ``You gotta got·ta Informal Contraction of got to: I gotta go home. cry,'' Ellis says, and of course he's right. But how much longer will the nation cry over Dec. 7, these men wonder? How much longer - when 1,200 to 1,500 of their fellow World War II servicemen and women are dying every day? ``The youngest guys from World War II are 78 now,'' says Ellis, 79. ``How long we have left?'' Hopefully, a long time. But the day is coming when there won't be anyone around who remembers what it was like to wake up on Dec. 8, 1941, and go from being a teenage boy to being a man. No one had to ask them. They knew what they had to do. Go finish the fight started at Pearl Harbor. Dennis McCarthy, (818) 713-3749 dennis.mccarthy(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) Ellis Simon, 79, left, a Marine Corps veteran, raises the flag Friday at the Jewish Home for the Aging in Reseda as fellow residents and veterans, above, salute. Thirty World War II veterans here will remember Pearl Harbor Day today, the day that caused many to enlist. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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