Lincoln Heritage Museum Pearl Harbor Day observance shares "stories that need to be passed down so that we as a nation can grow, learn, and truly, truly appreciate the sacrifices that were given before us.”

[December 09, 2017] 

LINCOLN

On the 76th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Lincoln Heritage Museum at Lincoln College hosted its second annual observance service in the atrium at Lincoln Center.

A number of guests were on hand including Illinois Representative Tim Butler, several city and county representatives, veterans and other members of the community.

The day began with welcoming remarks by Museum Administrator Tom McLaughlin and an opening prayer by Father Jeffrey Laible of Holy Family Church, who is also a chaplain for the Illinois National Guard. The presentation of the colors was performed by the American Legion Color Guard while Lincoln College vocal major, Dajuan Stewart Jr. sang the National Anthem.

The guest speaker for the day was the museum Assistant Director Anne Moseley. She shared with guests the story of her grandparents, Byron and Rosemary Lochridge, whose lives were greatly impacted by the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Byron and Rosemary were a young couple engaged to be married when the Japanese invaded United States territory and destroyed the Hawaiian port Pearl Harbor. The couple was planning to be married in the future, but Mosely noted planning a wedding takes time, and due to Pearl Harbor her grandmother and grandfather soon learned that time was something they did not have.

Moseley said her grandfather had just finished college with a degree in microbiology. He and Rosemary had been engaged in the summer of 1941. Word that unrest was growing in Europe led Byron to enlist in the United States Army.

On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and Byron and Rosemary had to put their big plans aside and settle for something much smaller and much quicker. Byron received orders that he would ship out of Little Rock, Arkansas to Hawaii on December 19th. A big family wedding became a small affair where Byron was stationed.

Moseley pointed out the wedding dress that was on display where she spoke. She said that the hand sewn garment was completed in the car on the drive to base by Rosemary’s mother and mother-in-law. The car was being driven by Rosemary’s brother who had helped to quickly get his sister ready for the trip. Mosely noted that as is the case with many brothers, some details were missed, including grabbing up the shoes Rosemary would wear with her gown as they all left home. Mosely said consequently Rosemary married her husband wearing her house slippers.

That wedding missed some of the key components of a well-planned wedding, no photographer, no flowers, no theme colors, and no honeymoon.

The couple were given only a few hours together as husband and wife, as Byron left the next morning and Rosemary was left behind.

While Byron served overseas, his state-side home base changed from time to time and each time Rosemary would move to a new base and await the return of her husband. Mosely said the only thing her grandmother had were the letters that her grandfather wrote to her on a very regular basis. Each letter was cherished and carefully stored away as a remembrance of that chapter of the couple's life together.

Mosely said it was important to note that it was not just the soldiers who were impacted by the war but also their wives and families. Young wives were left behind to live alone and take care of themselves with little known about where their husbands were or when they might be able to come home. Young mothers were raising children alone with no father figure to play a part in their growth.

While stationed in Oregon, Rosemary began a small business, making baby clothes and helping young mothers on the base. She said for Rosemary, it was a way to provide love, hope, and care for young mothers and children who were left behind as a result of Pearl Harbor.

Mosely said her grandfather was proud to serve his country. For him it was a moral obligation, and a feeling shared by many young men during World War II. But she said it was also an obligation for the wives they left behind, and they too respected and honored that moral obligation.

Moseley said that the letters that kept her grandmother close to her husband were put away when the war ended. Byron returned home, and the couple began to build their life together. Byron didn’t speak of the war to anyone, and the reminders of war such as his uniform were stored away, out of sight.

With this being a very personal story, Moseley hesitated briefly as she entered the next portion of her account. She recalled in the 1990’s being a child with a curious mind, she went to her grandfather and asked him to tell her about the war. He did. For the first time in his life, he talked about the tragic things he saw and the devastation.  But also the stories came out about the young couple. The wedding dress was brought out and the stories told, and the uniform was pulled from the back of the closet and put on for the girl to see.

She said the pride and respect for country was something her grandfather maintained throughout his life. He was the first to stand at the sight of his flag and when the National Anthem was sung. And even when he was physically unable to stand in his later years, he would reverently place his hand upon his heart at all patriotic occasions.

After that war, life did go on for the Lochridges. They raised a family, all girls, who also had families, giving the Lochridge’s grandchildren to love and enjoy.

The couple lived their civilian life in one home. They moved into the home after they returned from the service, and remained there until they had to be placed in extended care. Mosely said that after her grandfather told her his story, her grandmother also shared stories, but the stories became more complete when the family cleaned the home after her grandparents were gone.

Mosely said among the treasures they found was the box of letters her grandfather had written to her grandmother. In that box there were also photos that Byron had sent to Rosemary, pictures of himself, pictures of his military buddies, and more.

The collection was organized and put into a keepsake book that Mosely had on display along with a small shadow box of memories, a photo of Bryon and his Military Stripes, one of his two uniforms (he was buried in the other) and Rosemary’s wedding dress.

Mosely said the take away from her story was that all veteran’s need to share their stories. “Those are stories we need to know, stories that need to be passed down so that we as a nation can grow, learn, and truly, truly appreciate the sacrifices that were given before us.”

After Moseley finished, Dr. David Gerlach, President of Lincoln College, spoke briefly. He acknowledged the presence of Representative Butler and also his “favorite” World War II veteran, Bill Gossett.

Gerlach said his connection to World War II was through his grandparents Albert and Margret Gerlach who served in the Civil Defense Corp in New Jersey leading area drills, blackout patrols, recycling and rationing efforts soon after the attacks on Pearl Harbor.

Gerlach then read excerpts for the historical accounts of World War II:

“The base was attacked by 353 Japanese fighter planes, bombers, and torpedo planes in two waves, launched from six aircraft carriers. All eight U.S. Navy battleships were damaged, with four being sunk. All but one (Arizona) were later raised, and six of the eight battleships were returned to service and went on to fight in the war. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship, and one minelayer. One hundred and eighty eight U.S. aircraft were destroyed; 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 others were wounded.

“The attack came as a profound shock to the American people and led directly to the American entry into World War II in both the Pacific and European theaters. The following day, December 8, the United States declared war on Japan.”

Gerlach finished with a notation about President Roosevelt, who tagged the day as "a date which will live in infamy".

Immediately following this Lincoln College Jazz Studies student Jalen Fields played Taps as the color guard retired the colors.

McLaughlin ended the day by thanking those who had participated and those who had attended and extending an invitation for everyone to come in and tour the first floor of the Lincoln Heritage Museum.

[Nila Smith]