Column: Pearl Harbor luncheon in Batavia focuses on need ‘to continue to tell the stories’ of those who served

It’s been a couple of years since any survivors of the sneak attack that thrust this country into World War II were around to be honored at the Pearl Harbor Day Luncheon held annually in the Fox Valley.

Our last known survivor was Everett “Jim” Schlegel, who loved attending the December luncheon until he became too ill for the 2021 event. He died that same month, on New Year’s Eve.

However, this banquet sponsored for the last 54 years by the Aurora Navy League not only continues to draw a large crowd but also distinguished speakers and guests, including first and foremost a few remaining vets that served in World War II.

The luncheon, held Monday at Lincoln Inn Banquets in Batavia, brought together World War II veterans Angelo Di Liberti, Duane Stevenson, Richard (Dick) Miller, Don O’Reilly, Lou Ebrom and John K. (Ken) Clausen, all of whom were given a standing ovation by 275 people, including business, education and civic leaders.

Also honored were two Korean War veterans, Lou Kueltzo and Sherwin Davis, whose numbers, likewise, are dwindling.

Perhaps that’s one reason I love covering the luncheon - it gives me another chance to visit with these vets, to look directly into their faces and try to imagine them as “just kids” – their words – going off to fight a war that would forever change not only their lives but the world itself.

I also am energized by the genuine appreciation that is expressed by those attending, who take time out of their busy lives to reflect on that infamous day in history and to show their gratitude.

The Pearl Harbor Day Luncheon, however, is held not just to honor our beloved Greatest Generation but to applaud and encourage its youngest.

Every year at the event, the Brattin Civic Youth Awards are handed out to a group of remarkable high school students who excel not only in the classroom and extracurricular activities but also as leaders with caring hearts who are dedicated to making their community a better place to live.

This year awards went to Julie Farrell, Aurora Central Catholic; Alondra Limon, East Aurora; Alexis Magana, Marmion Academy; Megan Molenhouse, Rosary; Grace Potapenko, Aurora Christian; Jaden Blankenship, Illinois Math and Science Academy; Jakhai Hudson, Oswego; and Anna Buchenauer, Waubonsie Valley.

“You are our future and I am so proud to know we are in great hands,” U.S. Navy Capt. Craig Mattingly remarked as he began his keynote speech following the Brattin awards.

As the head of this country’s Naval Service Training Command, Mattingly has good reason to pay attention to this young generation.

In May, the former senior advisor to the Secretary of the Navy was appointed as head of Naval Service Training Command, which puts him in charge of 98% of all Navy training – the exception, as he pointed out, is his alma mater, the U.S. Naval Academy.

It’s no wonder he cares so much about the future of our country’s military, and in fact, is often asked about this newest generation entering the service.

“I can tell you with high confidence,” he said in a voice teeming with that assurance, “they are ready and they are eager to serve their nation.”

And they “didn’t get that way by accident,” he added, quickly giving credit to those in the room, including the St. Charles American Legion and VFW Post, Naperville American Legion and VFW Post, Fox Valley Veterans Breakfast Club, Fox Valley Marines Detachment 1233 and Aurora Council Navy League.

Mattingly described veterans and those who support the military in their communities as “a true force multiplier for our military,” not only because they represent the virtues of military service but provide a “tangible link” to that service for young people in the community.

To that end, proceeds from the luncheon go to the Aurora Division of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, as well as the JROTC programs at Mooseheart and East Aurora and West Aurora high schools.

“Research has shown that veterans’ presence and military support in communities is among the most important predictors of a young person’s propensity to service,” he insisted.

And there is more need today than ever, said Mattingly, no doubt referring to numbers that show recruitment is down in all branches of the military, except for the Marine Corps and Space Force.

According to official sources, at the end of the 2023 fiscal year in September, the Navy was at 80% of its recruitment target, the Army at 77% and the Air Force at 89%.

Which makes events like this Pearl Harbor Day Luncheon even more important.

“In order to continue to get the finest to serve,” said Mattingly, “it is imperative that we continue to tell the stories of those who did serve.”

The captain then went into an account of the horrors of the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941, when more than 2,400 Americans lost their lives and more than 1,200 were wounded.

Nearly half those fatalities (1,177) were aboard the battleship USS Arizona, including 23 sets of brothers and the entire ship’s 21-member band that had been warming up to play the national anthem when the Japanese attack began.

Mattingly also recounted his meeting with Lou Conter who, at age 102 and living in Northern California, is the last known survivor of the USS Arizona.

The story of this quartermaster third class who, after the ship exploded, helped rescue dozens of burned crew members and later took part in the underwater recovery of bodies, is nothing short of “riveting,” he said.

Conter later became a pilot of an amphibious plane that was shot down twice in his 200 combat missions in World War II. He went on to serve a long career, including in Korea, eventually training Navy pilots and crew members on how to survive if shot down or taken as prisoners.

“Stories like Lou Conter’s heroism and experiences are what continue to attract young people with a hunger for purpose and a desire to serve and join the military,” said Mattingly. ”We have to continue to tell their stories. We must take these opportunities to learn from our history, to reflect on our values and more fully comprehend what exactly all of this is in service of.”

While not every war veteran has a military tale as action-packed as Conter, Mattingly reminded us that each one who served deserves a standing ovation.

Some, like Dick Miller who was aboard the USS Drexler when kamikaze planes sent it and 158 of his shipmates to a watery grave off the coast of Okinawa, certainly experienced the worst of war. Others like Duane Stevenson, who turned 100 on Veterans Day, volunteered to serve and drove a truck with the Army’s engineering unit, a vital link in the war’s efforts.

“To those World War II vets in the audience today, and those Korean vets in our audience, thank you for your service,” said Mattingly. “Because you served honorably, I have the opportunity, the privilege to serve.”

The captain then turned his attention to the future.

“If we are to remain the most capable force in the world, we must be able to recruit and retain the best America has to offer,” Mattingly said. “The Navy League and other service support groups help us tell those stories and keep it at the forefront of our national memories.

“Events like these,” he concluded, his appreciation evident, “are a great start.”

dcrosby@tribpub.com