Legacy of Pearl Harbor carries on to next generation

Precisely at 10:55 a.m. on Wednesday, a siren sounded in the auditorium of the Robert J. Dole Veterans Administration Medical Center.

It was in remembrance of one of the deadliest attacks against the U.S.

It was at 7:55 a.m. on a Sunday at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 75 years ago when Japan attacked the U.S. territory, plunging the United States into World War II and forever changing the face of the world.

More than 100 Wichitans gathered Wednesday at the VA center to observe the anniversary.

“Pearl Harbor defines our parents’ generation,” said Jim Denison, a 69-year-old Vietnam War veteran and honorary member of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association who has organized the annual Pearl Harbor anniversary for more than three decades.

“It shows the staying power and impact of that day’s event – the heroism of that day still resonates with the remaining Pearl Harbor survivors, their children and grandchildren. We hope and pray for all of us and our children that they never forget what Dec. 7, 1941, means.”

No Pearl Harbor survivors attended this year’s event, although several family members did, including the family of Lewis L. Wagoner.

Wagoner was on board the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked. His remains were identified earlier this year and returned to Kansas in October. He was buried in his family’s plot at the cemetery in Whitewater.

In the auditorium, the seats normally reserved for the Pearl Harbor survivors were filled with numerous World War II veterans who each received certificates of appreciation.

The Goddard Eisenhower High School Jazz Ensemble provided music for the observation, and the Wichita South High School Titan Battalion JROTC Color Guard presented the colors.

On the brochures handed out to those who attended the ceremony, Denison wrote: “I am saddened that this will be the final curtain call on the annual Pearl Harbor Commemoration in Wichita. My hope and prayer is that some one would take up the torch and carry it on so no one would forget December 7th, 1941.”

As the program drew to a close, two unexpected visitors stepped to the podium – Denison’s daughter, Jennie AraSmith, and his 10-year-old grandson, Logan AraSmith, who pledged to keep the Pearl Harbor ceremony going.

“I want to promise my grandpa that I will carry the torch and tell more kids my age about what happened and the lives that were lost in defending our country,” Logan AraSmith said.

This story was originally published December 7, 2016 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Legacy of Pearl Harbor carries on to next generation."