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The Hideaway Times: Article Wednesday, December 7, 2005 More than six decades later, voices of area World War II veterans are heard by those preserving their memories.‘Day of infamy’ rememberedBy AUDREY PARENTE | News-Journal Staff Writer
The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor 64 years ago today plunged the United States into war. More than six decades later, voices of Volusia and Flagler County World War II veterans are still being heard by those seeking to preserve their memories. A mural has been painted on the wall of a local veterans nursing home. College students are working to compile oral histories from surviving veterans. And the stories of two local residents who survived the war are contained in a new book published by the Library of Congress. On Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on American military installations in Hawaii, leaving more than 180 planes destroyed and nearly 3,000 dead or wounded. Five of the the Pacific Fleet´s eight battleships were sunk and the others damaged. “It´s the date that stands out above all others about the U.S. getting involved in the war,” said Tom Wiener of the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. Wiener will be at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8696, 47 N. Old Kings Road, Bunnell, at 3 p.m. today to commemorate Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Other area observances include events at Port Orange VFW Post 3282 and at Emory L. Bennett Veterans Nursing Home in Daytona Beach. The Library of Congress project, funded by Congress in 2000, received an initial gift of $3 million from the AARP. The goal is to record personal accounts of all veterans from 20th century wars. About 40,000 veterans have recorded stories. More than 100 stories appear in two books written by Wiener in conjunction with National Geographic, the most recent “Forever a Soldier: Unforgettable Stories of Wartime Service.” The book begins with a Pearl Harbor survivor and includes two Flagler County World War II veterans: Giles McCoy, survivor of the sinking of the Indianapolis, and Augustus Prince, a Navy radar operator. “The royalties go to the Library of Congress,” Wiener said. This year, nine Bethune-Cookman College students in Jeannette Ford´s oral history class conducted interviews for the project. One student, Davion Lewis, said he accomplished more than recording history. “I find that there is nothing great about war itself. It is too bloody, barbaric and absolute,” Lewis said. “For my colleagues and me, we see this as an even greater opportunity to spend time with our elderly veterans. One would be so surprised to see just how much talking with a war veteran or any retiree can do to have a positive effect on that person´s day.” Another local project benefiting veterans is a mural painted by four local artists at the Daytona Beach Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic. Yvonne Seiwell, a portrait artist from Daytona Beach, said she met Joe Salomone, a fine arts artist and a veteran from New Smyrna Beach. They wanted to do joint mural projects and started Masterpiece Murals Plus, with air-brush muralist John “Smittee” Smith and muralist Bianca Powell, both of New Smyrna Beach. Their first project was done for free at the veterans clinic in November. “I noticed the walls were so dead, so I thought the atmosphere could be improved and honor our vets,” said Salomone, who often goes to the clinic. “We wanted to paint together, and this was a really good cause,” Smith said. One veteran Marine, Greer Claypoole of Ormond Beach, a clinic volunteer, described the mural -- stars, stripes and eagle background with historic war scenes -- as patriotic and inspirational. “It´s all of that. They did a beautiful job,” Claypoole said. Did You Know?To paraphrase a common saying, those who cannot remember history are doomed to repeat it. That´s one reason why oral history projects have become so important. One such historian is Studs Terkel. Born in 1912, Louis “Studs” Terkel earned a law degree but ended up working in radio and eventually landed his own show. His radio show was primarily for playing music, but he started interviewing people along the way. He has since written 16 books made up of interviews of Americans from all walks of life. Terkel´s books include “Hard Times,” about the Great Depression; the Pulitzer-prize winning “The Good War,” about World War II; and “Race,” about the experiences of blacks and whites. Compiled by News Researcher Megan Gallup. SOURCES: Chicago Historical Society, USA Today
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