In Benson, about 80 people gathered at Veterans Memorial Park Monday to honor our country’s veterans. From the National Anthem sung by Zoe Federoff, the 22-year-old great-granddaughter of Paul Kerchum, a WWII veteran and Bataan Death March survivor, to the color guard salutes, to speeches by local dignitaries, Benson’s ceremony deeply touched all who attended.
Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6271 color guard presented the colors in crisp formation and fired off the traditional 21-gun salute as part of the tribute.
World War II Veteran Paul Kerchum served as keynote speaker, where he talked about his 3 ears as a Japanese prisoner of war. With vivid recall, Kerchum describes the horrors of the Bataan Death March and the atrocities endured by American soldiers at the hands of the Japanese. “Men were shot, bayoneted, beheaded and beaten to death by the Japanese Army for no reason,” the 93-year- old veteran said. The Bataan Death March extended 68 miles, from Mariveles to the San Fernando railhead and took about five days, he said.
“Freedom is never free,” said Kerchum at the start of his speech. “American men and women have spilled their blood and given their lives so we can have the freedom we enjoy today.” Kerchum says as bands play and the flag goes by, he is constantly reminded of World War II and his comrades in the 31st Infantry, of the 99 days of fighting on the Bataan peninsula with obsolete weapons, half rations, little medicine and overwhelming odds. “It was April 9, 1942 when General King surrendered an exhausted, beaten, hungry, diseased army, and that’s when the event that became known as the Bataan Death March followed.”
He spoke of time spent in prisoner of war camps in the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan, living under the constant fear he could be killed “at the slightest whim of any Japanese solider.” Kerchum recalls 39 days cramped in the hull of a Japanese Hell Ship – an unmarked vessel that carried American prisoners of war – under constant attack by American submarines as he and other soldiers were being transported from Manila to Taiwan. “Because these ships were not marked, 5,200 Americans were killed when they were sunk by American submarines and aircraft,” Kerchum said.
In her address, Marilyn McBride, president of the VFW Post 6271 Women’s Auxiliary, talked about the sacrifice and bravery of the men and women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. “Remember the families of the veterans today,” she said. “Some never came home, leaving behind wives, children and loved ones.”
David Lambert, Commander of American Legion Post 45 of Benson, also talked about the importance of honoring all who have served. “…Veterans Day is a time to honor not just those who have fought for us in battle, but all of the outstanding men and women who served in our Nation’s Armed Forces, since our founding more than 237 years ago,” he said. “Ladies and gentlemen, let us always treat our 22 million veterans as the protectors of our country that they are, even when the guns are no longer shooting…God Bless American and God Bless all of our veterans.”
Benson resident Lorna Jensen says she attends the Veterans Day ceremony every year. “I thought it was wonderful,” she said. “I think it’s just wonderful that we have such articulate speakers who express themselves so well. I never walk away with a dry eye.”
Navy Veteran Ron Despain, who is the VFW district commander, said, “I thought this was a great service. I just hope that people look at the ages of the people who are out here doing this. The majority of the people are from the Vietnam and Korean wars. There are WW II veterans here too, but we’re seeing fewer of them all the time.
Ernest Johnson, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam and Desert Storm is captain of the color guard. “I’ve been doing this for about 19 years now with this VFW at different locations, until the Veterans Memorial Park was dedicated about 12 years ago. We have some very impressive speakers every year. I thought it was a very good ceremony.”
Following the ceremony, veterans and attendees were treated to a pot- luck lunch at the VFW on Fifth Street.
Locally, Veterans Day ceremonies and parades were happening throughout Cochise County. Along with the Benson tribute, Sierra Vista, Douglas, Tombstone and Bisbee held ceremonies, to name a few of the communities. All were held simultaneously, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, to commemorate the signing of the armistice between the Allies of World War I and Germany, marking the end of World War I. Initially called Armistice Day, in time, the name was changed to Veterans Day and honors all American veterans.
Catat Ulasan