Contributed by Diane Ciba
On Monday, December 7, 2020, a small group gathered on the Oakville Green to honor and remember those who died 79 years ago on a Sunday morning in Hawaii. Since 1994, this annual event commemorates the 2,403 service members and civilians who were killed during the attack as well as the 1,178 who were wounded. Sponsored by Oakville American Legion Post 195, Oakville VFW Post 7330, and Watertown VFW Post 5157, the memorial included a reading of the names of Connecticut men who perished on December 7, 1941. As each name was read by Post 7330 Chaplain Joe Ostroski, a bell was rung by Ken Lukowski, also from Post 7330. Taps was played by Art Atwood, Jr., Post 7330, and Tom Wills, Post 5157, while a small boat was lowered to Steele Brook by Mickey Corcoran, Watertown-Oakville Veterans’ Council, and a wreath was laid by Paul Garceau of Post 5157 beneath the plaque on the Pearl Harbor Bridge that honors local veteran, Art Schreier, who survived that devastating surprise attack.
The known list of Connecticut Men killed at Pearl Harbor (hometown):
Aboard the USS Arizona:
Carlson, Henry Ludwig, USN SK3c (Norwich)
Gosselin, Edward W., USNR Ensign (Hamden)
Lanquette, Henry John, USN Cox (Wallingford)
O’Neill, W.T. Jr. , USNR Ensign (Glenbrook)
Orzech, Stanislaus Joseph, USN S2c (Meriden)
Patterson, Richard J., USN SF3c (Berlin)
Povesko, George, USN S1c (Bridgeport)
Quarto, Mike George, USN S1c (Norwich)
Seeley, William Eugene, USN S1c (New London)
Aboard the USS California:
Reeves, Thomas James, USN CRE (Thomaston)
Aboard the USS Nevada:
Luntta, John Kallervo, USN S1c (Colinsville)
Aboard the USS Utah:
Smith, George, USN Matt1c (New Haven)
At Hickam Field:
Wegrzyn, Felix S., AAF Private (Bridgeport)
At Wheeler Field:
Horan, Vincent M., AAF Corporal (Stamford)
Sterling, Gordon H. Jr., AAF 2nd Lieutenant (Hartford)
From USS Enterprise, shot down by friendly fire attempting to make a night landing:
Allen, Eric Jr., USN LT JG (Darien)
This list was compiled by Ray Emory, National Historian for the Navy for the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association with additional research by Arthur Schreier. The full list of casualties is available from the National Park Service.