VETERANS OBSERVE `DAY OF INFAMY'

JACKSON - -- Henry Pratt joined the Army in January 1940 at the age of 17. Twenty-three months later, Pratt was looking forward to his 19th birthday and returning to Farmington with his discharge papers.

"I had my 19th birthday, but I didn't return to the U.S. for more than three years," said Pratt, who was among the servicemen surprised by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor more than a half-century ago.

"I remember it well," said Pratt, who was among members of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Chapter III who gathered at the Brookside Park Memorial to Veterans of All Wars Wednesday to mark the 53rd anniversary of Japan's sneak attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

The attack on Pearl Harbor, which President Franklin Roosevelt described to Congress the following day as a "day that will live in infamy," brought the U.S. into World War II.

Pratt was in an Army infantry unit at Pearl Harbor, and on Dec. 7, 1941, he was preparing to go into town for a holiday.

"My unit was a defensive infantry unit," said Pratt. "Most of the unit was on maneuvers near Honolulu."

Pratt had the day off. He was waiting to have breakfast before leaving base.

"I heard airplanes," he said. "I saw this one Japanese plane and it appeared to be heading toward our barracks area. It started strafing the barracks, and I headed for the nearest supply room."

Pratt found the supply room locked, but by this time, some other soldiers were in the area, including officers.

The supply room door was locked, but on orders of officers, the soldiers broke in and hauled out some machine guns.

"We set them up on the roofs of our barracks," he said. "Anytime a Japanese plane came close, we fired. We didn't hit any, but we sure tried."

From Hawaii, Pratt and his group were sent to a number of Pacific islands, including Guadalcanal.

He remained in the service another three and a half years before returning to Farmington at war's end.

Pratt was one of about a dozen Pearl Harbor survivors who attended the Wednesday observance. During the ceremony, a number of flags were on display, courtesy of the American Legion Post 158 color guard, which posted the colors.

On hand at the Brookside Memorial were family and friends of survivors. A memorial prayer was led by the Rev. Rodney Travis of First Baptist Church. The Rev. Sam Roethemeyer, pastor of Emanuel United Church of Christ, was the guest speaker.

"I was not born on that day in 1941," said Roethemeyer. "But I recall stories told by my father. These were stories of strength and courage. We must move forward now. The survivors here symbolize strength, courage, peace and good will."

The Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor resulted in the deaths of 3,700 American military personnel, and destroyed 18 American ships and almost 200 military aircraft.

"We expected about 30 Pearl Harbor survivors at the observance," said Howard Bretz, who served as master of ceremonies. "But some of the veterans were speaking at various schools throughout the area."

Bretz, also a Pearl Harbor survivor, was enjoying a day off on Dec. 7, 1941, when the skies suddenly filled with Japanese planes.

"At first I thought the planes were ours," said Bretz. "When they started bombing and strafing the area, I looked for cover."

Bretz found cover beneath a large lumber pile. From there, he worked his way to a nearby mess hall.

"When the shooting was over, we organized and went searching for Japanese soldiers," he said. "We didn't find any in Hawaii, but we were sent from island to island in the Pacific. We lost a lot of men."

Bretz, of Fruitland, stayed in the service for the duration of World War II, eventually returning to the U.S. in 1945, when he went into the building industry.

One of the ships destroyed during the Pearl Harbor attack was the Arizona. Still a commissioned ship in the Navy, it serves as the final resting place for the 1,177 seamen who died aboard. Nearby, the Utah rests on the harbor floor, a tomb for the 58 sailors who went down with it.