Events to honor Pearl Harbor defenders

Deepa Bharath

It is a day Jack Hammett will never forget.

The 85-year-old Costa Mesa resident and former mayor has made it

his life’s mission to make sure future generations don’t forget what

happened Dec. 7, 1941, either.

Hammett was only 21 the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

“I was still in bed that Sunday morning when the bombs fell,” he

said.

But when it happened, Hammett did what he had to do. He got up,

got dressed and went to work in the triage area, administering first

aid on one side and helping identify remains of those killed on the

other.

“When something like that happens, your basic training kicks in,”

he said. “And you don’t think. You just do.”

He is now chairman of the Freedom Committee of Orange County, a

group of veterans who take history into classrooms.

“We bring living history,” Hammett said. “They read about the war

in textbooks. Ours is a been-there, done-that, touched-it,

smelled-that perspective.”

Hammett and other veterans will join Corona del Mar High School

students for a luncheon today as part of a project undertaken by the

school’s honors English students.

Students read the book “The Red Badge of Courage” by Stephen Crane

and then interviewed veterans from different wars, presenting a

report about it in class, said Denise Weiland, the school’s community

service and special programs coordinator.

“They closed their paper with what they learned from this project

and presented their veterans story to their class before Veterans

Day,” she said.

Today at the luncheon, the students will sit with the veterans

they interviewed and present each one a copy of the report and tape

of the interview, Weiland said.

“This project not only teaches our students the history of our

country but also reinforces what it truly means to be an American,”

she said.

The project was initiated by English teacher Keree James’ own high

school project, Weiland said.

“She said that this project inspired her to become a teacher,”

Weiland said. “It changed her life.”

The tall ship Lynx, docked at the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum,

will remember those who died on Pearl Harbor Day, said Jeffrey Woods,

the ship’s director of operations.

“We’ll cruise out to the ocean and throw a wreath into the sea in

memory of those who defended Pearl Harbor,” he said. “Once out in the

ocean, we’ll fire canon salutes in their honor, as well.”

Louis Nockhold, a seaman aboard the U.S. cruiser Honolulu during

the attack, will also speak at the event. This is the second year the

Lynx is holding the event on Pearl Harbor Day, Woods said.

“It’s going to be very special,” he said, “because we have very

few World War II veterans and survivors left among us.”

* DEEPA BHARATH is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

She may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or by e-mail at

[email protected].