Battleship New Jersey Commemorates 73rd Anniversary Of Attack On Pearl Harbor With Wreath Casting
By Tim Jimenez
CAMDEN, NJ. (CBS) -- Sunday marked the 73rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. To honor those who lost their lives and those who served, a memorial wreath ceremony took place on the Battleship New Jersey.
On the deck of the battleship, 91-year-old Francis Beach cast the wreath with red, white and blue flowers into the Delaware River. The marine had few words about his service. But his son, New Jersey State Senator Jim Beach, said his actions 73 years ago were loud and clear.
"He was on his way to church and heard that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. And he immediately went to the recruiting station," Beach said. "He was in the 3rd Marines and was involved with invasions of Guam, Bougainville and at Iwo Jima. And so I'm a pretty lucky guy to be here."
And Battleship New Jersey CEO Phil Rowan recalled the history of this vessel, launched because of the sense of duty and the hard work of many from the region.
"Workers, about 40,000 of them, of which 30 percent were women, worked around the clock everyday to launch this ship on the one-year-anniversary of the attack," Rowan said. "This ship was launched in 1942, 72 years ago to the day of that attack. That was the response, that was the American resolve."
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