December 8, 2005

Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs hosts Pearl Harbor Day Ceremony

(MADISON) -- December 7th marked the 64th anniversary of the unexpected attack in 1941 by Japanese forces at Pearl Harbor. President Franklin Roosevelt called December 7, 1941 as "a date which will live in infamy."

The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) on December 7th hosted a Pearl Harbor Day commemoration event to honor World War II veterans and especially Pearl Harbor veterans. The event also featured a special presentation by Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) and the showing of clips from the "Wisconsin World War II Stories" series, particularly about Pearl Harbor.

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle signed a proclamation declaring December 7, 2005 as Pearl Harbor Day in Wisconsin." Annual commemoration of this attack at Pearl Harbor continues to instill in all citizens of the United States a greater understanding and appreciation of the selfless sacrifice of the individuals who served in the United States Armed Forces during World War II," Governor Doyle said in the proclamation.

Department Secretary John A. Scocos, who spoke about the Day of Infamy, said, "The generation of men and women who fought at Pearl Harbor on the infamous day of December 7, 1941 and who survived the Second World War epitomizes the characteristics we all – as Americans – hold in such high esteem. This greatest generation of soldiers did not think they were committing acts of heroism … they only believed they were doing what was right by serving our nation."

Scocos told the audience of about 100 people that the slogan during World War II was Remember Pearl Harbor, and said, "The events that followed December 7 have long inspired us, and they will be a shining example for this nation for years to come. On Pearl Harbor Day, Americans revere and salute our veterans of Pearl Harbor and World War II. We honor them for their bravery in the face of extraordinary odds."

Scocos presented the Governor’s Proclamation with eight Pearl Harbor veterans at his side. The veterans, who had been at or near Pearl Harbor on that fateful day, were: William Scheer (Waunakee), Mello Stapleton (Madison), Floyd TeWinkel (Sun Prairie), Amos Peterson (Blanchardville), John Primus (Beaver Dam), Everett Bewick (Oregon), Robert Feller (Merrimac), and Richard Thorson (Cumberland).

Among the Pearl Harbor veterans attending, one of them who told of his experiences was Mello (Mel) Stapleton. He enlisted with the Army Air Corps in May of 1939 and was at Hickam Field where he did radio repair and installation. He said he was on his way to breakfast at the PX when he heard the explosions, stuck his head out the window, and saw "the red ball insignia" on the Japanese planes.

Another World War II veteran at the ceremony who was at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 was Floyd TeWinkel, who entered the military in June of 1941 and served in the U.S. Army with the 295th Anti-Aircraft Artillery, Battery B and Searchlight Battalion. He was near Hickam Field when the attack occurred.

And one Pearl Harbor Survivor in attendance, Robert Feller, was a Navy Seaman Apprentice in 1941. He was a messenger in the radio communications center of the USS Oglala when the attack on Pearl Harbor began. Feller recalled seeing a plane headed right towards him and sliding down a stair railing as the plane dropped a torpedo that went under the Oglala and blew up the USS Helena nearby.

Secretary Scocos said of these experiences, "The men and women of the greatest generation have made a contribution to the country and the world not seen before or since."

The day's ceremony also included the Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) transfer of tapes and other archive materials of the "Wisconsin World War II Stories" series that features over 100 hours of interviews on about 200 tapes, with 65 Wisconsin World War II veterans and 25 people who were active on the Home Front.

In addition to the Secretary and the Pearl Harbor veterans, the program was attended by Representative Gabe Loeffelholz (Platteville), Chair of the Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs. Also attending were former Secretaries of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs -- John Moses (1962-1982), John J. Maurer (1985-1992), and Ray Boland (1992-2003).

For further information about Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) or the WDVA's Wisconsin Veterans Museum events, go to www.dva.state.wi.us or call 1-800-WIS-VETS (947-8387).