Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti and Peter J. Danielczuk stand beneath the POW - MIA flag at Veterans Park.
ANSONIA – Dozens turned out at Ansonia’s Veterans Park on Dec. 6 to commemorate the 83rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which killed nearly 2,400 Americans and triggered the nation’s entry into World War II.
Longtime former Alderman Peter J. Danielczuk led the annual ceremony to remember the events of Dec. 7, 1941, when the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on the Pearl Harbor Navy base in Hawaii that killed 2,393 people and injured 1,178 more.
In the years following that date, Ansonians answered the call to action, with 70 service members from the city paying the ultimate price over the course of the war.
It is a date that continues to “live in infamy,” as Danielczuk and other speakers noted. Mayor David Cassetti, serving as guest speaker for the ceremony, said it’s an opportunity to honor Ansonia veterans in all wars.
Cassetti told the story of Ansonia native and U.S. Army Corporal Frank Jackson, an African-American service member who was killed in action in Mexico during World War 1.
“On June 28, 1916, an officer from the United States Army took a train from New York to 45 Wooster St., now called Pershing Drive here in Ansonia, to inform the parents of Frank Jackson that their son had been killed at the Battle of Carrizal in Mexico on June 21,” Cassetti said.
Cassetti pointed to the memorial wall at Veterans Park where Jackson’s name is inscribed, alongside the names of other Ansonians who have served in past wars.
“Corporal Jackson, a son of Ansonia, is here with us today, forever honored and revered on this august monument,” Cassetti said.
Those in attendance included U.S. Navy Senior Petty Officer Patrick Henri, who led a three-gun salute, and Michael Heise, Commander of Gordon Viselli Post 50 American Legion, who played the ceremony out in a round of “Taps.”
Deacon Rich Renker, of the Holy Rosary Church, led the ceremony’s invocation and benediction, giving thanks for those who have served. The Ansonia High School choir performed the Star-Spangled Banner, “America, the Beautiful,” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic” for the crowd.
