CARIBOU, Maine — Every year it’s a small but dedicated group determined to remember and honor those who perished in the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941. The weather was gracious enough to stave precipitation for the ceremony while the group — consisting of about 25 this year — saluted those who died during the attack 71 years ago.
Among those who spoke that morning was Commander of the Caribou VFW Post Linwood Lord, who told the group that the day marked the 71st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, “The day that changed the course of history and the destiny of America.”
“It was a day that tested the strength of the American spirit and the resiliency of America’s people,” Lord said, stating that on that day 3,500 were killed or wounded, 18 ships were sunk or damaged and more than 350 aircraft were destroyed. “Although it was a day of great tragedy, it was also a day that served to ignite our national pride and our great national spirit,” Lord added.
“It is said that a history forgotten is a history repeated. We must never forget the events of December 7, 1941. But more importantly,” he stated, “we must always remember and honor the thousands of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who died during that terrible ambush.”
Among the approximately two dozen in attendance was Philip Bosse, Senator Susan Collin’s state office representative in Caribou. Though she was unable to attend the event herself, the senator spoke with Bosse about the annual ceremony and Bosse relayed her message to the veterans and patriots who gathered on the bridge.
“Within minutes of the attack, the men and women of our armed forces at Pearl Harbor, including many from Maine, found themselves on the front lines of a battle for the future of civilization, and they fought back,” Bosse said. “Our soldiers, airmen, sailors, Marines, and members of the Cost Guard and Merchant Marines did not come from a society steeped in the desire for conquest. Whether they came from our great cities, the Great Plains, or the farms and fishing villages of Maine, they came from places that desired peace and that cherished freedom,” he added on behalf of the senator. “When the crisis came, the American character bound them together in a great common cause on behalf of humanity.”
During the ceremony, Bosse also remembered George Berube Sr., a former Korean War POW and area advocate for veterans, who died the day before the ceremony took place.
