NORTH BRUNSWICK – North Brunswick Wreaths Across America held a pre-Remembrance Ceremony on Dec. 6 to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which occurred on Dec. 7, 1941, in Hawaii.
Members of Elmwood Cemetery, American Legion Post 459 of North Brunswick, and North Brunswick U.S. Navy veteran Jim Kletz laid a memorial wreath at Elmwood to honor the memories of the more than 2,400 Americans who died and more than 1,100 who were wounded that fateful day.
”We gather today in remembrance of this infamous day and the courageous resolve of those who stood and fought for our nation’s cherished ideals,” said Eleanor Molloy, president of Elmwood and chairperson for Wreaths Across America.
During the ceremony, Richard Pender, Korean War veteran and senior vice commander of Legion Post 459, spoke about how the country united after the attack.
Pete Clark, member of the Wreaths Across America committee read a memorial prayer from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Chaplain’s handbook.
“Because of their dedication to duty we still enjoy the freedom we inherited from our forefathers,” he said.
At the conclusion of the remembrance ceremony, it was announced that a standing committee through Wreaths Across America will be organized for upcoming events to remember the attack on Pearl Harbor, with a special remembrance ceremony in two years to mark the 80th anniversary.
