Posted on 08/09/2015 8:14:09 AM PDT by SandRat
SIERRA VISTA — The United States is fast approaching the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
America’s entry into World War II officially began on Dec. 7, 1941, with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and other military installations in Hawaii early one Sunday morning.
One of the deaths during the attack was Bisbee resident Seaman 1st Class James Murphy, one of seven Arizonans who died while serving on the battleship USS Arizona.
Although the U.S. was already providing war support war primarily to England by escorting merchant ships through the Atlantic, the official war status of America becoming involved in World War II was the Japanese attack. The following day, on Dec. 8, 1941 the U.S. formally declared war on both Germany and Japan.
And the end of the war, another Bisbee resident, Seaman 1st Class Nick Pavlovich, now 94, retransmitted the Japanese surrender ceremony from the USS Missouri to the United States from a naval radio station on Guam.
That is a short synopsis of the war which saw more than 12.5 million American men and women don uniforms of the Army — which then included the Air Force — Marines, Navy and Coast Guard, as well as an unknown number of those who served with the Merchant Marine.
At 10:30 a.m. next Sunday, Aug. 16, one of the public Global Spirit of ‘45, commemorations will be held at the Southern Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Sierra Vista.
Joe Larson, the cemetery administrator, said all federal and state-operated veterans’ cemeteries have been asked to participate in the event, which will begin in the Philippines at the American Battle Monuments Commission cemetery, and culminate at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.
The local ceremony, which will last about an hour, will include a number of World War II veterans in attendance, Larson said.
A 36-foot long scale model of the USS Arizona is planned to be at the ceremony and to remember the era of the war, a 48-star American flag — at the time of the war neither Alaska nor Hawaii were states, although both territories were scenes of battles during the conflict — will be flown from the cemetery’s main flagpole. Larson said.
“We will be honoring the great heroes of World War II. It was the time of the Greatest Generation and that means those who wore the uniforms as well as Americans on the home front who supported the war effort, building ships, planes and other war materials and who grew food to feed the military in a time when we Americans saw rationing food for ourselves,” he said.
Larson said during the war “almost every American was involved in the nation’s defense and it was a time for the Rosie the Riveters who worked in war industries. Almost every American was involved in the war effort.”
From an historical perspective the copper mines in Bisbee were a main provider of copper, a critical war material, which led the Navy to commission the building of a frigate, named the USS Bisbee, which saw service in the Pacific where it was manned by a Coast Guard crew. The ship’s crew included a well known entertainer of the time as its executive officer, Buddy Ebsen.
Larson said of the more than 5,100 veterans and their spouses in the cemetery, to include cremains, 1,213 of them are World War II veterans.
He hopes many area residents will come to the special ceremony, which will include the 62nd Army Band and honor guard from Fort Huachuca and will include a speech by the new intelligence center and fort commander, Maj. Gen. Scott Berrier.
The fort was the training ground for two black divisions, the 92nd and 93rd, one which fought in Italy and the other in the Pacific theater .
Larson said he hopes area residents will come to the Aug 16 event “and take time to thank the World War II veterans who attend.”
The Arsenal
President Franklin Roosevelt called the United States “the arsenal of freedom.” Here’s why:
During World War II, the United States built, 99,000 fighter aircraft, 97,000 bombers, 23,900 transports and 57,000 training planes.
Also 102,410 tanks as well as more than 2 million trucks, jeeps and other vehicles.
From the shipyards came 124 aircraft carriers — at the beginning of the war America had less than a half dozen carriers — 8 battleships, 48 cruisers, 349 destroyers and 245 submarines.
Also built were nearly 3,000 Liberty ships, mostly using a prefabricated process. One ship was launched in four and a half days, from when the keel was laid.
Taking up arms
Those serving in uniform included 12,209,238 men and 358,000 women by 1945. The largest minority group were blacks with more than 900,000 in uniform.
In 1939 the Army Navy and Marines had a total of 334,473 in uniform. Figures for the Coast Guard were not tracked until 1942.
Of those who served during the war, nearly 39 percent of the men were volunteers and all the women were in that category.
Slightly more than 61 percent were drafted.
Ultimate sacrifice
Those who were killed/wounded in the war were:
•Army and Air Force 318,174/565,861.
• Navy 62,614/37,778.
• Marines 24,511/68,207.
• Coast Guard 1,917/Unknown.
• Merchant Marine 11,324 of which 4,780 were missing and presumed dead.
Exclusive of the Merchant Marine, 407,316 members of the nation’s armed forces were killed and 671,278 were wounded.
The ceremony
The Aug. 16 ceremony at the Southern Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery, located off of Buffalo Soldier Trail, will begin at 10:30 a.m.
The hour-long event will include:
• Posting of the colors by the Fort Huachuca Color Guard.
• Playing of the National Anthem by the 62nd Army band from the post.
• Invocation.
• Proclamations by the Sierra Vista Mayor and one from the Arizona governor.
• Remarks by the commanding general of the fort.
• 21-rifle salute and playing of “Taps”.
• Benediction.
• Retiring of the colors.
After the event World War II veterans and other guests will be provided a lunch at VFW Post 9972 in Sierra Vista and 1940s music will be provided by the local Desert Swing Band.
Will Zero be there?
This year is my 50th anniversary of my tour in Viet Nam - where is my parade?
I dought it
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