OCR Text |
Show 7 T V.' Is ' mi Hi Cl tt Cory McCutchin ALC Fire department official through out the event C Be'9'en. Ogden tnsss all t attendees. iir f V Itl Clatl Cory McCutchin to ensure safety was observed Photo by Airman were out in full-forc- e o J pfp Photo by Senior Airman Run Martin Walter Bailey, a veteran of 40 years in the Navy, shares his experiences at Pearl Harbor and other highlights Ji I " V" .). ... ' spanning his ' 40-ye- ar career. ( Photo by Staff Sgt. Matt Lohr Bob Ekstrom, Military Affairs Committee president, kicks off i- -j Photo by Airman 1st Class Cory McCutchin ativt Jim Hansen addresses the audience. the event. i v 'I JV v Photo by Staff Sgt. Matt Lohr Vickie McCall, DACOWITS chair, poses with Tom Gulnney, Gastronomy Inc. president and major contributor to the event. J .' I Photo by Senior Airman Russ Martin Master Sgt. Samuel Klatt loads up his plate of goodies. Pearl Harbor survivor compares 'greatest generation', 'latest generation' Photo by Airman 1st Class Cory McCutchin ler, left, and Sharia Yancey, Junior ROTC cadets from North Ridge High School sing, "God Bless America," as din. by Senior Airman Russ Martin Hilltop Times editor Six p.m. Dec. 7, 1941, Walter R. Bailey, covered in ash and oil residue, fights along side the other survivors putting out fires and tends to the wounded after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Six p.m. Dec 7, 2001, Bailey was honored before a sea of airmen and community leaders for his actions and service that night, 60 years earlier. As a guest of Ogden Air Logistics Center Commander Maj. Gen. Scott Bergren, Bailey found himself in awe Friday as the .Top of Utah Military Affairs Committee sponsored a welcome home reception at the Hill Aerospace Museum to honor military personnel who've deployed from the base throughout the past six months. He was not in awe of the interest toward him- self, but of the men and women of the J Photo by Staff dees were treated to gourmet delicacies. Sgt Matt Lohr U.S. Air Force who were recognized for their sacrifices while deployed during the year. "It's just amazing to see everyone here tonight," said Bailey. "These folks have deployed all over the world this year and as I recall, it's hard to keep in touch with friends you've made on deployments when you return due to commitments at home.-Thi- s gives everyone a chance to see each other and you can see that they are really enjoying themselves." Food, drinks and socializing kicked off the event. Bob Ekstrom, President of the Top of Utah Military Affiars Committee, Ogden-WebChamber of Commerce, welcomed the men and women before handing the microphone over to Bergren, who er s addressed the audience and the special guest "It makes you proud to be an American," said Bergren. "When you see people like Walter, when you see people like these airmen here, you know that despite the time in between those two horrific events there will always be Americans ready to make a sacrifice and answer the call." Bergren invited the wheelchair-boun- d Bailey to the forefront of the audience where I X 1 Russ Martin . a Photo by Airman 1st Class Cory McCutchin Local community leaders Intermingled with service members expressing their thanks for their dedicated service. f by Senior Airman J Jr. II- - . he expressed his thanks and admiration for Bailey's actions over the past 60 years, both during and after the tragic Pearl Harbor attack. "We are here in large part tonight due to the sacrifices by Walt and the other survivors of Pearl Harbor," Bergren said. The general snapped a smart salute to the retired Navy master chief sending the teared up, veteran of 40 years back to his place of honor. Following the official welcome, and with-th- e commander's blessing, guests began mingling again, this time, people's attention turned directly to Bailey to hear of his experiences and lessons learned ld from Pearl Harbor. "I love talking to these young folks," said Bailey. "It might have been 60 years ago that my friends and I were involved with Pearl Harbor, but my attitudes then are mirrored by the attitudes of these airmen following the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center." The world changed Dec. 7, 1941 and the camaraderie and teamwork of those young soldiers won the war for America. Bailey sees the same drive and commitment to excellence in the airmen of today. "Before (Dec. 7, 1941) we were young. The world as we saw it was ours for the taking," said Bailey. "Then the attack came and changed us all and we saw first hand what war was like. "A lot of these young guys are in the same boat," he said. "One day they where exercising, performing peace-tim- e military operations, and the next day they are doing it for real and thus far have done it flawlessly." "They call us the "greatest generation," Bailey said with a broken voice. "I can't wait to see what they designate these fine folks." Escaping the attack without serious injury, Bailey's life changed years later after a severe accident at Travis AFB, Calif. In 1950, Bailey worked as a firefighter at Travis, when a 9 crashed on the airfield. The then raced to the scene where he tried to help survivors escape from the smoldering fuselage: The intense heat and fire ignited a fuel tank injuring Bailey. He spent the next two and half years B-2- recovering from that accident which left him burned and without much of his right leg. Despite losing the ability to fight fires, Bailey regathered himself and stayed on with the Navy working as a recruiter until retiring in 1981 after 40 years of Navy |