JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR – Veterans, active duty service members and guests of the Pacific Submarine Force gathered to celebrate Memorial day at the Parche Park and Submarine Memorial in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, May 28.
The ceremony’s guest speaker, Capt. Anthony Carullo, chief of staff, Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, spoke of the importance of this day and the sacrifices made by those in uniform.
“Today, we are gathered to honor and remember not just those brave men of the submarine force, but to all who paid the ultimate price and gave their lives throughout history so that we could celebrate the freedoms that we enjoy,” Carullo said.
The annual ceremony is hosted by members of the Bowfin Pearl Harbor Base U.S. Submarine Veterans.
Paul Jurcsak, Bowfin Base commander and retired submariner, delivered opening remarks followed by tolling of the boats, and lei and wreath presentations memorialized the lost WWII submarines and crew members.
“By honoring the nation’s war dead, we preserve their memory and thus their service and sacrifice,” Jurcsak said. “It is therefore fitting that we recognize these lost submarines and the fallen heroes that served on them because it is their spirit that burns in the hearts and souls of all veterans and of all those in uniform today who are serving our great nation.”
The ceremony concluded with the time-honored tradition of the three-gun volley performed by the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Navy Honor Guard Detachment, and Taps performed by the U.S. Pacific Fleet Ceremonial Band bugler.
Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May as a federal holiday in the United States for remembering those people who died while serving in the U.S. armed forces.
For more news from the Pacific Submarine Force, visit www.csp.navy.mil