Citizen Journal: School assembly honors Pearl Harbor survivors

How did area Pearl Harbor survivors spend the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor? With a group of students.

On Dec. 7, the members of the Lilac Chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association were the honored guests at a luncheon and school assembly hosted by Spokane Valley Adventist School, 1603 S. Sullivan Road. The activities started with a select group of students having lunch with the survivors. Students and survivors enjoyed the exchange of ideas and stories.

At 1 p.m., approximately 150 more students from area schools joined them for a special 70th anniversary assembly, moderated by Carol Hipperson, a local author who wrote the book “Radioman.” The book is the story of Ray Daves, a Pearl Harbor survivor, who was the president of the Lilac Chapter before he died.

The assembly was focused on the personal stories of each of the survivors and their families. It was a touching tribute to these wonderful men and women who were involved in one of the darkest days in American history.

Members of the group feel that it is their duty to tell the story of Pearl Harbor so that the younger generation will realize that it is important to be patriotic, and we must be willing to fight for the freedoms and liberty that we enjoy. The students attending this assembly will certainly not forget this important lesson that was provided by the Lilac Chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association on the 70th anniversary of an event that certainly changed their lives and the history of the world.