By Al Benson
With a prayer and toasts, a dozen Aurora veterans held an informal Pearl Harbor memorial Monday, the 79th anniversary of the attack by Japan.
Roosevelt-Aurora American Legion Post 84 was host to the event at its 1 E. Benton Street office. The memorial, sponsored by Navy League Aurora Council 247, took the place of the 51st annual Pearl Harbor luncheon and 34th annual Ted Brattin Youth Awards ceremony, both canceled by the pandemic.
Navy League, a civilian organization, was founded by president Theodore Roosevelt to support the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, and Sea Cadets.
Col. (ret.) Richard Todas of Aurora, Aurora Navy League president, emceed the memorial. He said, “Lesson learned (from Pearl Harbor), be prepared.”
Todas led a prayer and toast to the more than 2,000 soldiers and sailors killed December 7, 1941.
A second toast, to fallen shipmates, was raised by Navy veteran Richard Miller of Aurora. The yeoman from 1944 to 1945 survived the sinking of the destroyer USS Drexler (DD-741).
The Sumner class ship sank in 49 minutes after being struck by two kamikaze planes off of Okinawa May 28, 1945. The attack left 158 Drexler crewmen dead and 52 wounded.
Miller, a Drexler lookout, recalled being among 199 survivors swimming, or holding on to life rafts for several hours before being rescued by support ships on patrol.
In 1985, many Drexler survivors met for the first time for a reunion in Charleston, S.C..
Miller left East Aurora High School at age 17 to join the Navy. According to Mike Eckburg, Post 84 commander, Miller chose the sea service because it had the shortest line at the Post Office where recruiting took place.
Miller recalled spending nine days in a box car to reach Navy boot camp at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. A recruit with him was Albert “Al” D. McCoy, who was Aurora mayor, 1965-1977.