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Valley can’t forget date of infamy 75 years ago

120716...R P HARBOR@KSUTC 1...Champion...12-07-16... Pearl Harbor survivor James Werner, left, talks with WWII U.S. Navy veteran George Coler of Canfield during the Pearl Harbor and Beyond program at Kent State Trumbull Wednesday evening...by R. Michael Semple

CHAMPION — The impact of Pearl Harbor on the Valley was presented in dynamic form Wednesday, which was the 75th anniversary of the attack.

Pearl Harbor and Beyond: Remembering the Home Front was presented through a partnership between the Tribune Chronicle, Trumbull County Veteran Services, Civil Air Patrol Squadron 051 and Kent State University Trumbull Campus, where the event was held.

An original play, written by Berlin Center resident Melisa Trickett, featured a dramatic depiction of a family learning the fate of their beloved son Melvin Root who died on the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor.

The play centered around the family of Root, a real young man from Canfield who was stationed in Hawaii. While  decorating a Christmas tree and missing the young sailor during the holidays, the family hears of the attack over the radio. They are soon visited by a soldier presenting a flag to Root’s family, who then knew he would never again decorate a Christmas tree.

The portrayal was impactful, according to Howland veteran Joann Milani.

“It got to me,” Milani said.

Milani met her husband, Richard Milani, when both were in the military in the 1960s. She said by then, the country was more focused on the pressing current events of the time — a buildup in Vietnam and the Bay of Pigs invasion. But Milani said she began researching the attack in-depth later in life when she learned her father just missed the attack. He left Oahu on the USS Sailfish two weeks prior to the attack. He had to return to help with the aftermath and he did not talk about it, Milani said.

She and her husband are members of the Howland American Legion Post 706.

The play personalized the real drama that played out in the living rooms of people across the country and conveyed the solemn impact of the two-hour attack Dec. 7, 1941, said Darlene Freer, a member of the same Howland post.

Charles Jarvis, publisher for the Tribune Chronicle, led the program. He said the play, which notes the way the Valley started producing for World War II, reminded him of Sept. 11, 2001, because of the way the country came together after both attacks.

Youth in the Civil Air Patrol volunteered their time, with members presenting the “colors,” or the flags, for the ceremony. Gabrielle Jones, a senior at Warren G. Harding High School, read an essay entitled “My Responsibility to America,” and women sang the national anthem and God Bless America.

The program involved youth in as many ways possible, Jarvis said, because it is important for young people to carry on the tradition of remembrance in the future.

Programs that recall the historic event are important because no one should ever forget to honor those who perished in the attack or were called to war after, said John Turner, a member of the Howland American Legion Post. By keeping knowledge of the attack fresh, the country is more likely to be vigilant and take care of its veterans, Turner said.

On stage, Jarvis interviewed James Werner of Bristol, a 95-year-old survivor of the attack. Werner went on to serve in other parts of the world during the ensuing war before making his way back to the Mahoning Valley. After the attack, Werner said, rumors circulated of more to come and the soldiers spent the night in the fox holes they dug, afraid to move a muscle lest they be shot by Japanese they were sure would invade.

Reading from an edition of the Tribune Chronicle published shortly after the attack, Jarvis noted the fear and confusion that took hold of the country after the devastating blow. But, the community was ready to put forth its best effort, Jarvis said, with many contributing in some way.

It was different back then, when everyone had a hand in the effort, and the enemy was clearly defined, said Bud Luman, past commander of the Post 706.

But the possibility of a surprise attack on American soil will always be present, Luman said. Knowledge and vigilance is the only way to mitigate the risk, he said.

rfox@tribtoday.com

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