Thank You, all of you who served in WW2.
For your sacrifice, dedication, and love
of country. To those who were at Pearl Harbor
we will NOT forget you or those who gave the
ultimate sacrifice on Dec. 7th, 1941.
And they did give their best. The sneak attack by
Japan on a sleeping Pearl harbor on Dec. 7, 1941
those stationed there, living close to the base,
had no choice but to fight back, unprepared for
such a devious attack. Many died and it rolled
this country right into World War2. Had we not
given it our best the outcome might have been
very different. We owe them our thanks, our
support and our help as their numbers decline.
Despite failing health, South Florida survivor keeps Pearl Harbor memories alive
A Pearl Harbor survivor fights another battle -- to regain his strength -- while keeping memories alive.
BY MIKE CLARY
Sun Sentinel
SUNRISE -- At Pearl Harbor, Jerry Mintz fought back against the Japanese surprise attack by grabbing a 50-caliber machine gun and firing at the planes that strafed the anchored Navy fleet and pulled the U.S. into World War II.
In the 68 years since that fateful day, the former Army Air Corpsman started a family and flew 193 missions into tropical storms for the U.S. Weather Bureau.
And he kept alive the memory of the 1941 attack in Hawaii by serving as president of the Gold Coast Chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.
Now 87, the Plantation resident is engaged in another battle, to recover his strength after a bout with shingles and a diagnosis of myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disorder.
``There aren't many of us left,'' said Mintz as physical therapist Connie Lamons put him through a tiring round of exercises last week at the Springtree Rehabilitation Center in Sunrise.
``We are dying off. And those who aren't dying are becoming like me -- they can't drive.''
Indeed, earlier this year Mintz and a handful of other survivors association members in South Florida voted to disband the group because of the difficulty of getting together.
Yet Mintz and one other Pearl Harbor veteran, Bill Merz, 86, of Hollywood, did attend commemoration ceremonies Sunday at the Coast Guard station in John U. Lloyd State Park.
``It's our duty,'' said Merz, a retired New York City policeman. ``We do it to remember the guys who didn't make it.''
In Boca Raton, Anthony Mancini, 93, said he didn't know of any other Pearl Harbor survivors who live nearby.
``I lost a lot of guys I knew,'' said Mancini, who was stationed on the USS Minneapolis. ``The last guy I knew lived on Cape Cod. He died a couple years ago. I have no contact with any survivors. It's 68 years; that's two lifetimes.''
In Boynton Beach, the Veterans Council and the city of Boynton Beach are to unveil a monument to the 2,400 Americans killed or wounded at Pearl Harbor in ceremonies beginning at 12:30 p.m., Monday in Bicentennial Park, 400 N. Federal Highway.
Though their numbers are small, the survivors' message of vigilance remains constant.
``Learn from history,'' said Pearl Harbor survivor and Delray Beach resident Harold Shore, who fought in many of the big battles in the Pacific theater, including Guadalcanal and Okinawa.
``Just like it happened then, it can happen again.''
After he was discharged in 1945, Shore returned home to New York City and became a police officer. But he left the force after 10 years for a supervisory job at General Foods in White Plains, N.Y. He retired to Florida in 1980.
For Mintz, just 19 years old the Sunday morning of the attack, ``Pearl Harbor is something you never forget.
``We survived because maybe God wanted it that way. So I take every opportunity to talk about it, because I want the public to know what really happened.''
Edie Gates, 79, Mintz's companion for the past six years, said, ``Jerry and the other survivors association members are men who love their country. And he feels a responsibility to tell the story.''
For Mintz, the story begins in the Bronx, New York, where he was born to Hungarian immigrants in 1922. He enlisted at age 18, and found himself at Wheeler Field on the island of Oahu when he heard the first explosion.
After a wave of attacks from 350 Japanese planes, 21 ships in the U.S. Pacific fleet were destroyed or damaged, hundreds of aircraft were lost, and more than 2,400 Americans were killed.
The next day President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on the Empire of Japan, calling Dec. 7, 1941, ``a date that will live in infamy.''
After Pearl Harbor, Mintz served in Europe until his discharge in 1945. He worked in retail clothing and for Westinghouse before joining what was then called the U.S. Weather Bureau in 1960 as an engineer. The father of five children, and grandfather of nine, retired in 1982.
In addition to some health problems, Mintz was shaken in September by the death of his close friend James Lobozzo, a Pembroke Pines resident who was at Pearl Harbor with the Army Air Corps. Lobozzo was 86.
Though his days of golfing and tennis may be over, Mintz said he remains determined to regain enough strength and mobility to take another of the cruises that he and Edie enjoy.
``When I'm on a cruise, I forget about all the problems of the world,'' said Mintz. ``And I don't think about Pearl Harbor, either. I do that only when I'm asked to speak about it. That's the past. I'm looking to the future.''
Staff Writer C. Ron Allen contributed to this story.
Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1369311.html
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