Mayor Ethan Strimling Was a Speaker as Was a Representative of Chellie Pingree’s Office.

Taps Were Played Following the Ceremony at Ft. Allen Park.

Jo Davis, Widow of a Pearl Harbor Survivor, at the Ft. Allen Park Ceremony Early This Afternoon.

A brief but poignant remembrance of the  76th anniversary of the Japanese attack on American ships in Pearl Harbor was held at Fort Allen Park, the Eastern Promenade, early this afternoon.

Representatives from Chellie Pingree’s (D) office as well as from Senator Angus King’s (I) office addressed those in attendance.  Mayor Ethan Strimling said that because of the service of our soldiers Americans enjoy the right to pray to whom we want and we have the ability to say what we want.  He said he regretted that he never served in the military as so many others have, but has tried to live his life in service to improving the lives of others around him.

Jo Davis, 67, a widow of a Pearl Harbor survivor, participated in the remembrance and in particular at the laying of the wreath.  The ceremony was followed by the playing of taps.

Following the remembrance, Davis, said her late husband, Bertram, died in 2013 at age 94.  His ashes were taken to Pearl Harbor where they were distributed among his fellow shipmates who did not survive the attack by the Japanese.  Davis said he was serving as the chief engineer aboard the USS Selfridge DD 357, a smaller destroyer that was not part of the target because of its smaller size.

Davis said he was sitting in the fantail of the destroyer shining his shoes to go ashore via the daily milk boat when the attack came.

Bertram was 34 years older than she and the couple was married for 24 years – longer than they thought possible because of his age.  Jo lives in Falmouth.  Her two sisters also attended the ceremony today.