Ceremony recalls ‘day of infamy’
By:Krzysztof Scibiorski
More than 100 local residents joined VFW Post 2290 in commemorating the 60th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7.
Local residents joined the veterans in their annual Pearl Harbor remembrance service, surrounding the flood-lit monument in front of the Washington Avenue post in a massive circle. The brief service touched on the ongoing sacrifices being made by servicemen and women throughout the world, especially in Afghanistan.
Nicholas Alimecco, an Army veteran and Post 2290’s lone Pearl Harbor survivor, concluded the ceremony by simply asking those assembled to "remember Pearl Harbor."
Following the ceremony, Mr. Alimecco, 82, recalled the events of Dec. 7, 1941.
"I was inside in Scofield Barracks when we heard the planes flying over; no one knew what was happening. Some of the barracks next to mine were hit. If it had hit mine, I probably wouldn’t be here," he said.
VFW officials were pleased by the attendance at the event.
"This was an absolutely excellent turnout for the ceremony; there is clearly an increase of patriotism in this community," said VFW District 15 Commander Andy Henkel. Mr. Henkel said this year’s turnout was a clear improvement over the previous years. He estimated that over 120 people attended the service.
"Just by looking at the post’s parking lots, full of cars, you can see that the ceremony was very well attended," Mr. Henkel said.
Borough resident and Scout leaderGary Courtelyou was also impressedby the attendance at last week’s event.
"There were definitely twice as many people here than last year," he said. "The VFW is a great organization and they sponsor the Boy Scouts, so its good to see this many people come out," he said.