By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
Mayor Dorinda Borer was joined by members of West Haven’s Veterans Council and Surfside Veterans to commemorate Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on the Veterans Walk of Honor in Bradley Point Park on Saturday.
Before a gathering of veterans, residents, and city and state leaders on a bitter cold morning, Borer delivered poignant remarks honoring the American patriots who made the supreme sacrifice 83 years ago during Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.
On Dec. 7, 1941, just before 8 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time, a swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes descended on the island of Oahu and bombed the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor, killing 2,335 service members and 68 civilians and thrusting America into World War II.
“The selfless men and women of our grandparents’ generation, often defined as the greatest, lived for their faith and their family while braving great hardships to keep our country safe and free,” said Borer, speaking in front of a black granite memorial named for Army Pfc. William A. Soderman, who received the Medal of Honor in World War II.
“Today and always, with our profoundest gratitude, we pause to remember the sacrifice of all who served in World War II, and we pledge to uphold their legacy and to honor their memory,” Borer said.
Rick Spreyer, the mayor’s chief of staff, served as the master of ceremonies.
The solemn service featured a presentation of the colors by the West Haven Police Honor Guard.
After thanking the veterans in attendance for their service, West Haven Fire Department Chief James P. O’Brien read the names of the 18 Connecticut servicemen who died at Pearl Harbor. Firefighter Jake Gannon rang the department’s chrome bell each instant a name was called as a line of chiefs, officers and firefighters from the West Haven and West Shore fire departments saluted.
Connecticut’s last known Pearl Harbor survivor, Floyd Welch, died in 2020 at age 99. Welch, of East Lyme, served aboard the battleship USS Maryland and helped save many lives aboard the bombarded battleship USS Oklahoma.
In observance of Pearl Harbor Day, Veterans Council President Dave Ricci, a Marine Corps vet who served in the Vietnam War, led the crowd in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and council Vice President Al Beck Sr. and member Howie Thomas laid a wreath at the base of the Soderman Memorial.
Soderman received the Medal of Honor after distinguishing himself in December 1944 while defending an important road junction near Rocherath, Belgium.
The seaside ceremony included a procession of dignitaries and a flag-raising by the West Haven Fire Department Honor Guard.
It was attended by West Haven Democratic Rep. Bill Heffernan, Chairman Robert Bruneau and Commissioner Al Lepper of West Shore’s Board of Fire Commissioners, City of West Haven Fire Department Allingtown Commissioner Frederick Brown, and City Council members Anne Heffernan, D-1, Gary Donovan, D-4, and Christopher E. Vargo Jr., D-8.
The program included remarks by West Haven Municipal Veterans Rep. Rich Deso, who read “Pearl Harbor,” a poem written by Barbara McMorrine. Deso, a Navy vet, served aboard the submarine USS Groton in the Mediterranean Sea during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. He is the president of Surfside Veterans.
The 20-minute ceremony also included opening and closing prayers given by West Haven Fire Department chaplain Victor M. Borras and taps played by West Haven’s own Art Gilbert.