A veteran tosses a wreathe into the Hudson River
NEWBURGH – Local elected officials, veterans and members of the public gathered Monday in Newburgh for ‘A Day of Remembrance’ to commemorate the 74th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, the surprise military attack by imperial Japan against the United States naval base in Hawaii on December 7, 1941 that led America into World War II.
An outdoor ceremony took place overlooking the Hudson River on the patio of the Blu Pointe Restaurant on the Newburgh waterfront. Christopher Eachus, the Pearl Harbor Day chairman and Orange County legislator who represents New Windsor, welcomed everyone and thanked “America’s greatest generation” and all veterans, including those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus, a US Navy reservist, briefly addressed the crowd saying that he just returned from Norfolk, Virginia where the attack on Pearl Harbor continues to be on the mind of the entire military community.
“Thank you for remembering today,” Neuhaus said. “It’s important to remember Veterans’ Day, Memorial Day. I also want to shout out to the Gold Star Mothers in our audience today.”
Keynote speaker Orange County Sheriff Carl DuBois spoke of his Navy veteran father who as a result of the Pearl Harbor attack, spent two-and-a-half years working underwater. He would later take his young son with him to local veteran cemeteries on Memorial Day and Veterans Day to ensure that all graves had an American flag. When flag burning became common in the 1960’s and 1970’s DuBois said he could barely contain himself as he thought of all those who died and continue to die for the American flag and all it represents. Yet, he believes “the Stars and Stripes will continue to prevail the landscape,” from the USS Arizona to the majestic Hudson River.
The program began with a recording of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s speech to a Joint Session of Congress the day after the attack, known as the “Infamy Speech.”
The event continued with wreaths blessed by Deacon Tony Ferraiuolo and cast into the Hudson by commanders and veteran group representatives. After, the bugle call Taps was performed by Zachery Siper, and shots echoed with the military honor of a rifle salute by the Catholic War Veteran’s Rifle Squad, Post #386 followed by drills demonstrated by the Newburgh Free Academy Junior ROTC.
