Pearl Harbor survivor gets spotlight at VFW

The "Welcome Home Veterans/Pearl Harbor Day" event Saturday at VFW Post 2528 in Tucumcari was meant for all area veterans, but organizers made sure it became extra special to one Pearl Harbor survivor in their midst.

U.S. Navy sailor Edward Yost and his refueling ship, USS Kaskaskia, were supposed to be stationed at Pearl Harbor during Japan's surprise attack Dec. 7, 1941, that catapulted the United States into World War II. Instead, he and his crewmates were hundreds of miles away as the vessel was undergoing repairs in San Francisco. Returned to sea after the attack, Yost and the Kaskaskia continued to serve for the rest of the war.

After a speech by New Mexico Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Mark Miera, Post 2528 Cmdr. Justin "Slick" Knapp gave Yost, who will turn 95 this month, a certificate of appreciation and led the room in a round of applause.

Yost, a downtown Tucumcari business owner, said he was surprised by the honor.

"I can't believe it. I didn't know they were going to do this," Yost said, gazing at the certificate. "I'll take it over and frame it on the wall of my shop."

Although Yost never saw combat during the war, Miera said being a Pearl Harbor survivor had to exact a mental toll.

"I couldn't imagine what it would feel like; it was simple fate he wasn't there," Miera said. "All those people he knew back on the port ... it's a big weight to carry."

Yost was the only World War II veteran to attend the ceremony Saturday. Miera's speech detailed events that preceded Pearl Harbor, including an embargo of U.S. shipments to Japan because of its aggressions in the Pacific. Ten days before the attack, talks between the two nations broke down.

Miera said U.S. officials weren't expecting a military assault by Japan, but sabotage. That's why aircraft at the base in Hawaii grouped in the center of airfields with their fuel removed – making them perfect targets for an air raid.

"There's no way anyone is crazy enough to attack the U.S.," Miera said of the mind-set of the time.

The Japanese air raid began at 7:55 a.m. Dec. 7, 1941, and lasted for 110 minutes. The surprise attack killed 2,403 Americans and wounded more than 1,000.

In closing his speech, Miera asked veterans from various wars to stand for recognition. He gave additional emphasis to veterans of the Vietnam War he said didn't get a proper "welcome home" during that era.

He also urged former military personnel to join the VFW and other veterans' groups.

"We need to enlist a new generation of veterans to carry the torch to light the way of current and future veterans," Miera said.

Knapp, a Marine from military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, said the troubled Vietnam era ironically led to better treatment of future veterans.

"I believe the new generation of veterans are treated so well because of Vietnam," Knapp said. "They realize what it's like to be mistreated, and they weren't going to let that happen to us."