Honored 80 years later: Hockley County Pearl Harbor hero remembered in ceremony

Shambhavi Rimal, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
·2 min read
Lubbock Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2466 hosted Pearl Harbor Remembrance ceremony on Tuesday at the Hockley in honor of the heroes of that day who sacrificed to protect the country.
Lubbock Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2466 hosted Pearl Harbor Remembrance ceremony on Tuesday at the Hockley in honor of the heroes of that day who sacrificed to protect the country.

LEVELLAND- A Hockley County hero on Tuesday was posthumously honored for paying the ultimate sacrifice to his country 80 years ago on Dec. 7, 1941.

Lubbock Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2466 hosted a Pearl Harbor Remembrance ceremony on Tuesday at the Hockley County court house in honor of all of the heroes who battled and sacrificed during the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

During the remembrance ceremony, Levelland Mayor Barbra Pinner signed a proclamation in accordance with National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day to mark Dec. 7, 2021 as “Navy Fireman 1st Class James 0. McDonald Day.”

Levelland resident McDonald served at Pearl Harbor. After the attack - dubbed the "day that will live in infamy" by President Franklin Roosevelt - he was listed as Missing in Action from the Battleship USS Oklahoma. McDonald was listed as MIA until his remains were recently identified in December 2020. He and other fallen service members from Pearl Harbor were being honored at a ceremony at the national cemetery in Honolulu.

In Levelland, Pinner said it was a great honor to read and sign the proclamation honoring McDonald, while other advocates speaking at the ceremony also praised the efforts of McDonald and his fellow heroes.

Barbra Pinner mayor of the City of Levelland signed a proclamation in accordance with National Peral Harbor Remembrance Day to mark this day as “Navy Fireman 1st Class James 0. McDonald Day.”
Barbra Pinner mayor of the City of Levelland signed a proclamation in accordance with National Peral Harbor Remembrance Day to mark this day as “Navy Fireman 1st Class James 0. McDonald Day.”

“On behalf of Levelland and Hockley County, I want to say thank you for bringing James McDonald back home,” said Hockley County Veterans Service Officer Cara Phelan.

Tuesday's ceremony also included a 21-gun salute, a playing of Taps and a wreath laying ceremony led by World War II veterans honoring the fallen.

The ceremony also included a 21-gun salute, TAPS and WWII veterans laid the wreath at the monument honoring the fallen.
The ceremony also included a 21-gun salute, TAPS and WWII veterans laid the wreath at the monument honoring the fallen.

“Although it was a day of great tragedy, it was also a day that served to ignite our national pride in our great national spirit,” said Commander Benny Guerrero of the Lubbock VFW.

The ceremony also included a 21-gun salute, TAPS and WWII veterans laid the wreath at the monument honoring the fallen.
The ceremony also included a 21-gun salute, TAPS and WWII veterans laid the wreath at the monument honoring the fallen.

On Dec. 07, 1941, the Imperial Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in an attempt to break the American will and destroy the Pacific Fleet. The attack, which ultimately failed to achieve its objectives, killed over 3,500 Americans and was the beginning of World War 2.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Hockley County Pearl Harbor hero remembered in ceremony