NE Phila. Man, a Pearl Harbor Survivor, Attends Battleship NJ Ceremonies
By Steve Tawa
CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) -- Pearl Harbor Day cermonies are happening all over the country this week, in recognition of the attacks 72 years ago that plunged the country into World War II.
Today, aboard the Battleship New Jersey on the Camden waterfront, a ceremony was held that included one of the dwindling number of remaining Pearl Harbor survivors.
The New Jersey, built at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, was launched in a rush on December 7th, 1942, exactly one year after the Pearl Harbor attack.
Providing the invocation today, Msgr. Michael Mannion of the Diocese of Camden said today's gathering would help future generations memorialize, remember, and reflect.
At 7:55am on December 7th, 1941, nearly 2,400 service members and 49 civilians lost their lives, Mannion noted.
Attendees honored one of the few surviving Pearl Harbor witnesses, 92-year-old Alex Horanzy (at left in top photo) of Northeast Philadelphia, who was a 20-year-old US Army infantryman from Manayunk stationed in Hawaii on the fateful day.
Today, he encouraged those in attendance to "remember Pearl Harbor, and keep America alert."
This was the 23rd annual Pearl Harbor Day ceremony aboard the New Jersey, America's most decorated battleship.
