The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Local veterans Homer Ledford, Joseph Czyzowsky and Earl Frazier wait to participate in the Veterans Day Parade.

Veterans Day

Holiday is a day to remember

By Dwana Bain

When Fred Edwards was a high school student, he gave little thought to Veterans Day.

But with a world war behind him, the Sunnyvale resident has a different perspective today.

"You can imagine what would happen if the Nazis and the Japanese had won World War II. Where would we be today?" he said.

Edwards, a Pearl Harbor survivor, was unable to participate in this year's annual Veterans Day parade in San Jose because he has difficulty walking. But he shares his wartime experiences by giving lectures at local high schools and community centers. He said many young people are curious about Pearl Harbor and don't know its significance in American history.

Edwards keeps a collection of snapshots and memories from his days in the Navy. The walls in one room of his home are covered with old photos from the war.

"When you get to be my age, you live in the past," he joked. Among the photos is a black-and-white image of the battleship he served on, the USS Tennessee. On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, the Tennessee was hit by three bombs that killed several crew members. For a week afterward, Edwards pulled bodies from the water.

"People had drowned; some of them were in half, almost," Edwards said.

One of his prized possessions is a memorial flag that flew on the USS Arizona, a battleship that lost more than a thousand men at Pearl Harbor. A bomb that hit the ship smashed into its ammunition supply and caused massive explosions.

Even worse than Edwards' experience at Pearl Harbor were the three weeks he spent in Okinawa, when 3,000 planes went down in 22 days, and the Tennessee was hit by a kamikaze. "They'd come in at night, day--anytime. So many ships were being hit around us, transports were sunk, battle wagons were hit, but those [Japanese] planes--they never had a chance," Edwards said.

Edwards acknowledged that the holiday means more to war veterans than civilians. As World War II veterans get older or die, Edwards believes the war will become an obscure piece of history. "Some kids will go through life and think, 'Yeah, there was a World War II.' I don't think the schools stress World War II. They hardly teach anything about it."

Until recently, the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association held a reunion in O'ahu every five years. Last year marked the last such reunion because members are aging, and it has become physically and financially difficult for many to make the trip.

Edwards also belongs to the Santa Clara Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 3982.

He said the group is comprised mostly of World War II veterans.

Bobby Green, another Sunnyvale resident, served as a Navy cook for three years during the Vietnam War. "I fixed midnight rations for many a guy in Vietnam," he said. Green said he thinks Veterans Day should be acknowledged and celebrated more by the public as a holiday.

"I have friends that died in Vietnam, and no one even cared," he said during a Veterans Day interview. "Today is a special day and should be recognized by everyone, whether you were in the military or not. Veterans Day is a day for those who went through the heartbreak of war, and the families that were ruined by war."

The city of San Jose held its 78th annual Veterans Day Parade Nov.11 with more than 30,00 participants from six military divisions.

Among the parade participants this year was Homer Bledford, a longtime Sunnyvale resident and a commander of the local district of Disabled American Veterans. Bledford said he participates in as many parades as he can.

"It's a matter of making a showing and representing those who were not able to take part," he said.

Bledford said he sees Veterans Day as a holiday similar to Memorial Day. "It is a reminder to those who have served. Some were imprisoned, some were injured, some gave all."

Between wars, people tend to forget about the meaning of the holiday, Bledford said. He wants younger citizens to remember Americans who have served their country--from the Revolutionary War to the present.

"With all the high-tech weapons, there always must be the willing young Americans, who are tired, hungry, scared and homesick, who get up under fire and get the job done. On Veterans Day, we give them a collective salute of love and appreciation."

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, November 19, 1997.
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