November 29, 2007

Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs to host Pearl Harbor Day Ceremony at Union Grove

(MADISON) -- The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) will host a ceremony to commemorate the observance of Pearl Harbor Day – the 66th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The ceremony will be held on Friday, December 7, 2007 at the Wisconsin Veterans Home in Union Grove at 10:00 a.m. in Boland Hall.

WDVA Secretary John A. Scocos, who has recently returned from active duty in Iraq, will be the department speaker and will present a Governor's Proclamation signed by Governor Jim Doyle declaring December 7, 2007 as Pearl Harbor Day in Wisconsin. The emcee will be World War II submariner veteran and Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs member Walter Stenavich of Racine. In addition, two special guest speakers, both Pearl Harbor Survivors, William Bader and James Schliesmann will provide remarks. Posting of the colors will be presented by the Navy Recruiting Command of Milwaukee. The National Anthem, the song “On This Day” and other patriotic selections will be performed by the Union Grove High School Choir under the direction of Kristin Novaez. The Pledge of Allegiance will be led by World War II veteran Gert Kent. And the Submarine Bell Memorial Ceremony will be rendered by U.S. Submariners Owen Williams and Paul Shockley.

Pearl Harbor Day also marks the “official countdown” to observance of the National Moment of Remembrance observed at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day. A portion of the Pearl Harbor Day ceremony will be devoted to the significance of the National Moment of Remembrance as well as the presentation of “The Gold Medal of Remembrance,” a medal especially designed for the children of fallen service members, presented to them out of the nation’s gratitude for the service and sacrifice of their parents. Two medals will be presented, one to each of the children of a service member from Menomonee Falls who was killed in action in Iraq in 2004. McKinley Smith, a representative of the White House Commission on Remembrance, will also be attending the ceremony.

Legislators, veterans, and the public are invited to attend. The Wisconsin Veterans Home at Union Grove is located at 21425 C Spring Street, Union Grove. Driving directions are from Hwy 90, Hwy 894/45, Hwy 11, or Hwy C, go to Spring Street to enter the WVH-UG grounds and watch for street signs.

The Wisconsin Veterans Home at King, N2665 County Road QQ, King, Wisconsin, will also host a Pearl Harbor Day ceremony on December 7, at 7:30 a.m. in the Marden Center.

For more information about the Wisconsin Veterans Homes, go to WDVA’s website at www.dva.state.wi.us/Homes. To learn about Pearl Harbor Day go to www.dva.state.wi.us/pearlharborday or call toll-free at 1-800-WIS-VETS (947-8387).