Photo by Anthony Mullin
Retired Senior US Navy Chief Petty Officer and member of Gordon Viselli Post 50 American Legion Patrick Henri.
ANSONIA – Jim Sardo never got the chance to meet his namesake but is grateful to his Uncle Jim Sardo — a U.S. Marine who gave his life defending the country following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Sardo, a U.S. Marine who eventually followed in his uncle’s footsteps, and served in The Vietnam War from 1967 to 1968, was one of about 35 people Thursday morning (Dec.7) at Veterans Park in Ansonia for the city’s annual Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremony.
Thursday marked the 82nd anniversary of Pearl Harbor — the‘Day of Infamy.’
Mayor David Cassetti, who served as both host and guest speaker for the 30-minute ceremony, highlighted Sardo’s military service, reflecting on the young man who grew up in Ansonia on West Spring Street.
Sardo joined the Marines in 1943 at 20 years old, less than two years following the sneak bombing attack by the Japanese on U.S. military bases in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. More than 2,400 American soldiers were killed, and nearly 1,200 were wounded.
Cassetti said Sardo, a year after he enlisted, was sent to fight a vicious, 81-day struggle for control of a tiny island in the South Pacific called Okinawa.
“On May 12, 1945, nine days after Hitler’s Germany surrendered, the American command on Okinawa Island ordered Jim’s company to take a Japanese strong point called Half-Moon Hill,’ Cassetti said. “For almost two weeks, every night, the Japanese Imperial forces attacked the marine’s position with grenades, bayonets and bare fists. During the day a thundering artillery barrage from Marine artillery and naval gunfire crashed down on the hill and aircraft screamed in, dropping napalm across the shell scarred terrain. The fight for the seemingly insignificant little hills had cost the 6th Marine Division over 3,000 casualties. Among them was our own Jim Sardo, killed while advancing up the north slope of The Half Moon Hill.”
Cassetti’s research into what his uncle faced on the battlefield was a real history lesson for the younger Sardo.
“The family told stories about him, but I never heard the whole story like that; the Mayor knew so much more about him than I ever did, and I really appreciate that,” said Sardo.
JoAnn Sardo also never got to her meet her uncle, but appreciates the city keeping his legacy alive, especially for today’s generation to remember.
“This ceremony was awesome,” she said. “It’s nice to know the history because kids today don’t remember.”
Cassetti, who is seldom at a loss for words said there’s simply not enough he can say about his gratitude to the soldiers who paid the ultimate price.
“There really aren’t any words to express our thankfulness for their service to patriotism and for their sacrifices that give us our freedom,” Cassetti said. “Because of them, because of their bravery and commitment to their nation and her ideals, our nation’s best days are still to come.”
The “Day of Remembrance” ceremony, emceed by former longtime Alderman Peter J. Danielczuk, also featured a musical interlude of patriotic songs performed by the Ansonia High School Choir and an invocation and benediction from Father Jeff Gubbiotti. A firing squad from Gordon Viselli American Legion Post 50 fired three rounds into the cold December sky, while Patrick Henri, a retired U.S. Navy Senior Petty Officer and Post 50 member, played “Taps” on his bugle, as the crowd held their hands over the hearts.
