A salute to all who served

Survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor and other World War II veterans were wined and dined and honored at a special gala tribute on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the historic battle.

“December 7th Remembered” at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki was billed as an evening of remembrance and tribute, honoring those who fought and survived the attack on Pearl Harbor and Oahu and other battles of World War II.

About 1,200 people, including scores of former warriors moving slowly in their 90s, attended the event that included a reception, dinner and tribute in a hall decked out in red, white and blue.

The occasion was part of the series of events planned this week for the 75th anniversary of the surprise attack that killed more than 2,000 military personnel on Dec. 7, 1941.

The keynote speaker was Adm. John Richardson, a former Pearl Harbor submarine captain and now chief of naval operations, the U.S. Navy’s highest-ranking uniformed officer.

Richardson praised the survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack, saying they set the tone for what the Navy has become today.

“Our men and women still draw inspiration from the example set by the Greatest Generation,” the admiral said.

“Veterans from World War II — both those that gave their lives in service to their country, and survivors here with us today — are our model for what it means to serve. You demonstrated humility, toughness — what it means to take an oath,” he said.

Richardson, who commanded the USS Honolulu submarine at Pearl Harbor from 1999 to 2001, said he’s always humbled when he returns to Hawaii. He said he lived on Ford Island for six years at a time when the island was “almost frozen in time just as it was during the attack.”

The memorial to the USS Utah, he said, was “in my front yard,” a continual reminder of that fateful day in 1941.

“I saw many evenings where colors were executed on that memorial,” he said.

Richardson, who was awarded the Vice Admiral Stockdale Award for his time in command of the USS Honolulu, said the young sailors on the Arizona likely had no idea as they woke up on Sunday morning for duty, for baseball games and liberty ashore that their oath of service would demand they make the ultimate sacrifice.

“They were caught by surprise in a short period of time, but their dedication was evident,” the admiral said. “They manned their battle stations, and fought back with a toughness we can barely imagine.”

Earlier, the old veterans reminisced about the war and remembered the brothers and comrades who didn’t make it.

Yasunori Deguchi, 92, a 442nd Regimental Combat Team veteran from Kona, said he lost three classmates in the war.

“It’s not about what we, as survivors, accomplished,” Deguchi said. “It’s about remembering those who weren’t able to make it with us. It’s about continuing their legacy. So that we never forgot.”

Art Staymates from Hagerstown, Md., wore his old 1st Infantry Division officer’s uniform, complete with the Big Red One patch on his left sleeve.

Staymates, 92, was part of the first wave of D-Day infantry at Omaha Beach and ended up fighting throughout the duration of the war.

Staymates said he and other World War II veterans have been on Oahu all week, and a lot of people have showered him with compliments and made him feel good.

Looking back, he said, he was just doing his duty.

“Maybe it wasn’t that important,” he said. “But they make us feel real important.”