The American Red Cross Central and Southwest Oklahoma Chapter and VFW Post 8706 hosted a Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremony on Thursday to honor those killed in the attacks, survivors and their families.

Red Cross volunteers Kristin Ceder, Linda Jones, Judy Madden and Donna Strother joined Service to the Armed Forces/International Services Regional Program Manager Amanda English at the event, held at Campbell Park in Oklahoma City. They placed Red Cross blankets on the chairs for guests to use to keep warm and handed out hot chocolate from an emergency response vehicle.

The ceremony began with the presentation of colors, national anthem, Pledge of Allegiance and an invocation from VFW Post 8706 Chaplain Gary Lee Walker.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the Red Cross quickly mobilized a volunteer and staff force to fulfill the mandates of its 1905 congressional charter requiring that the organization “furnish volunteer aid to the sick and wounded of armies in time of war” and to “act in matters of voluntary relief and in accord with the military and naval authorities as a medium of communication between the people of the United States of America and their Army and Navy.”

VFW Post 8706 Cmdr. and Red Cross volunteer Rebecca McGary served as the master of ceremonies for the ceremony on Thursday — the 82nd anniversary of the attack.

“It’s our duty and responsibility to reflect on this day every year. We must … teach the importance of these events to our future generations.”

The park is home to the 10-ton iron anchor from the USS Oklahoma that commemorates the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and the 429 men aboard the ship who died during it. McGary wondered how many have driven by the anchor and not understood its full meaning.

“We were given a gift 82 years ago. The freedom to gather and remember and pay tribute to those brave men. We have not forgotten,” McGary said.

After the reading of a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day proclamation from Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and the singing of “God Bless America,” several speakers shared their thoughts with the crowd.

“Let us pause on this day to reflect on the supreme sacrifice made by so many Americans at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 and in the great struggle that followed,” said American Legion Moore Post 184 Cmdr. Stephen Worley.

Retired U.S. Navy Capt. John Keilty spoke about the importance of preserving the fighting spirit of the sailors and Marines at Pearl Harbor.

Cmdr. Aaron Stutzman gave the crowd an update on the USS Oklahoma submarine, which will be the first vessel to carry the Oklahoma name since Pearl Harbor and will be nicknamed “the Okie.” The Navy laid the keel for the Virginia-class nuclear submarine in August. Stutzman, who has deployed on the USS Pasadena, Kentucky, Ohio and Jacksonville, is the new vessel’s commander.

Keilty returned to the podium to give an impassioned telling of the story of Bryan McCallum, a sailor aboard the USS Oklahoma ship in 1941 who rushed to man a machine gun and mount a defense against the surprise attack. After the story, Keilty recognized McCallum’s widow, Jimmie, and other family who were at the ceremony.

Former Navy Undersecretary Adm. Greg Slavonic also spoke. His wife, Mary “Molly” Slavonic, is the sponsor of the USS Oklahoma submarine.

Veterans at the ceremony placed red, white and blue flowers on a symbolic grave. Many of the sailors and Marines killed at Pearl Harbor were never recovered. McGary placed a U.S. flag on the grave’s small, white cross.

The ceremony closed with a wreath being placed next to the USS Oklahoma ship anchor and a Missing Man table. See more photos from this event at the Red Cross Kansas-Oklahoma Region Flickr page.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.