BERNARDSTON — Eighty-four years after Japan’s Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor drove the United States to enter World War II, the Bernardston Senior Center honored veterans and their families with a free lunch on Monday, including 100-year-old World War II veteran and Bernardston resident Fred Johnson.
As a youngster, a gun Johnson was shooting exploded in his face and gave him a burn that resulted in complete blindness in his right eye. This greatly altered his ability to serve, but he wanted to do his part in the war effort and was allowed to be a radio technician and operator in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He was in the U.S. Army between 1943 and 1946.
Johnson was deployed to the China-Burma-India Theater, where he helped deliver supplies to allied Chinese soldiers.
“My brothers and my sister were already in [the Army], and I decided I wanted to do my part as well,” Johnson recounted. “I served in three different countries — China, Burma and India. I was very proud to serve.”
Monday’s belated recognition of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, which was officially on Sunday, at the Bernardston Senior Center also featured a performance of the national anthem by Elizabeth Bridgewater, a rendition of taps by trumpeter Dick Tandy and remarks from Upper Pioneer Veterans’ Services District Officer Jeffrey Cochran.
“The day is observed to honor the more than 2,400 military personnel and civilians killed and nearly 1,200 wounded during the attack, while also remembering the sacrifices of all World War II veterans, like Fred Johnson, and emphasizing the high cost of freedom,” Cochran said. “The attack unified the American public and fundamentally changed the course of American and world history.”
For his military service and sacrifice between 1943 and 1946, quilters from the Bernardston Senior Center presented Johnson with a handmade quilt.
“We wanted to be sure to honor [Johnson]. We also wanted to be sure to honor all the vets and their families,” said Donna Newton, who serves on the Bernardston Council on Aging. “We want to focus on the vets, like Fred Johnson, and thank them for their service.”