On Dec. 7, 2021, American Legion Post 2 in Bristol, Conn., held its annual Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
In attendance was the mayor of Bristol along with three former mayors, three state representatives who cover the Bristol area; the chairpersons of the Connecticut Gold Star Family Memorial Monument, working for the William Foundation; the Support Our Iwo Jima Survivors Association was there with one of its World War II members; members of the Bristol Police Force; and the Bristol Library with Bev Strong, one of the last living World War I widows.
The Memorial Military Museum had a display of items from local World War II veterans.
The Iwo Jima/World War II Traveling Military Museum also had a display. Theirs contained two complete uniforms of two Pearl Harbor survivors who were there the day of the attack.
We started the ceremony with honoring our WWII veterans with the ringing of the bell from USS Kidd. Joe Caminiti, an Iwo Jima survivor, rang the bell. The Bristol Veterans Council did the POW/MIA Table. The son-in-law of survivor Major Riccio Jr. was guest speaker. The wife of former Post 2 founder of the Memorial Museum told the story of three Pearl Harbor survivors from Connecticut. She also told the history of USS Kidd.
The Bristol, Conn., National Guard in 1941 was activated for World War II. The son of the Bristol Company's first sergeant was in attendance. One of the survivors honored happened to serve aboard a ship that did fire and support for the National Guard during WWII. He also was on board a ship that did fire and support at Iwo Jima while Caminiti was on the island.
The 18 names were read of those from Connecticut who died on Dec. 7, 1941, and Caminiti rang the bell once for each of them. It ended by asking the three World War II veterans to stand so they could be honored.