A tradition continued around Mt. Diablo on Saturday, where many across the Bay Area gathered to remember the service members who lost their lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
More than 150 people gathered at California State University, East Bay Concord campus, to participate in a ceremony remembering those who served, followed by the lighting of the beacon atop Mt. Diablo.
This year marks the 83rd anniversary of the attack, where more than 2,300 U.S. service members lost their lives.
At Saturday's event, people clamored to meet the V.I.P. guest at the ceremony: 100-year-old Clayton resident and Pearl Harbor survivor Earl "Chuck" Kohler. He was underage at the time of Pearl Harbor, but Kohler's parents had permitted him to serve in the Navy.
"I was a 17-year-old sailor trying to be the very, very best military man I could possibly be," Kohler recounted.
For Kohler, participating in the annual beacon-lighting tradition is part of fulfilling his promise to his fellow service members to ensure that the stories of Pearl Harbor are not forgotten.
This year marks the 61st that the beacon on Mt. Diablo was lit to remember those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor 83 years ago.
The Save Mount Diablo land trust, which now maintains the beacon, explained that Charles Lingbergh first lit it in 1928 to help commercial airplanes navigate. The beacon was illuminated nightly from Mt. Diablo until December 8, 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Save Mount Diablo executive director Ted Clement said that the beacon went dark until 1964 when Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz went to a ceremony on Mount Diablo commemorating the survivors of Pearl Harbor and suggested the beacon be lit each December 7.
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"We have a team up on the summit and they turn on the beacon, and they let it shine all night, and then I go up in the morning before sunrise, and just as the sun is rising a rest the beacon – turn off the beacon and close things up," Clement said.
He added that the beacon is also illuminated yearly for Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
Save Mount Diablo works with California State Parks, Cal State East Bay, Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, and Contra Costa County Television to organize the event each year.
Kohler recounted his memories of that infamous day as part of the ceremony. At the time, Kohler was on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor and remembered hearing the sound of approaching aircraft, which was not typical for a Sunday morning. It was early morning and Kohler said he was assigned to a security watch.
"Suddenly and simultaneously there was a tremendous roar, bomb fragments, explosion debris, and window glass came crashing into the back of my head, ears, and neck and onto my shoulders.
Kohler said, at first, he thought it was an accident, but he soon realized that the harbor was being attacked. He shared memories of running to get weapons and firing back at the aircraft that were attacking.
"I suppose as time goes by it will lose some of its importance to people because they don’t realize the situation the way it was then," Kohler told NBC Bay Area. "We were fighting for our liberties and our freedoms, and fortunately, we were able to keep it."
Kohler has been a big part of fundraising to keep the beacon tradition going through the years.
He said he only went back to visit Pearl Harbor once since the attack, and at that time, he made a "solemn promise" to those who gave their lives that day.
"I would do something to try to bring to them the well-deserved honor and continued remembrance that they so rightfully deserved," Kohler said.
"And this is what I came up with," Kohler said of the beacon lighting.
Kohler said to the auditorium of people at the event, "The few of us who still survive are eternally grateful too, knowing all those lost will be remembered because of all of you."
He marveled at how many people came to the beacon lighting event on Saturday.
"It’s just unbelievable, you know," Kohler said. "I really appreciate it and it gives me strength. I feed off of stuff like that, it helps me and keeps me going."
