We remember - or we should - Pearl Harbor.
The US had a more recent "Pearl Harbor" on 9-11-2001, but we should also remember the sacrifices made on this date in Hawaii at American naval and army air bases, including at Pearl Harbor.
An Ohioan from Springfield, US Navy Seaman First Class James R. Ward, who will always remain 20-years-old, gave his life this day in 1941 aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma. For his actions of selfless heroism that day, in sacrificing himself so others trapped in the capsized ship could escape, he was awarded the Medal Of Honor posthumously.
429 men died on the Oklahoma on December 7, 1941. James Ward's remains were not identified until 2021.
A US Navy Destroyer was named in his honor during WW2 and saw action in anti-submarine patrols against German submarines in the Atlantic Ocean.
His MOH citation reads:
"The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Seaman First Class James Richard Ward, United States Navy, for conspicuous devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and complete disregard of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. When it was seen that the USS OKLAHOMA (BB-37) was going to capsize and the order was given to abandon ship, Seaman First Class Ward remained in a turret holding a flashlight so the remainder of the turret crew could see to escape, thereby sacrificing his own life."
Rest in peace, young man. We are grateful and we remember.
