THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, May 28, 1996 TAG: 9605280050
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONY WHARTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 53 lines
At 16, Rip Green saw the face of battle firsthand.
Standing on a high ridge over Pearl Harbor, Green looked into the eyes of Japanese fighter pilots as they sped away after bombing and strafing American ships.
``It's all very, very clear in my mind,'' said Green, 70, staring out over the heads of people attending the Memorial Day ceremonies at Tidewater Veterans Memorial Monday. ``I could see the flash of the ships' guns firing, and then there were explosions, and the guns would fall silent.''
Green was not detached from the spectacle: His father, Robert Green, was a civilian harbor pilot, trying to move ships out of harm's way during the attack.
``It was a very emotionally and physically draining day for him,'' he said.
Robert Green survived the attack and ultimately became a lieutenant commander in the Navy. When Rip Green was old enough, he also entered the Navy and rose to the same rank as his father.
Green and his wife, Norma, now retired in Virginia Beach, planted an American flag in his father's name Monday at the memorial. They and about 200 others braved low clouds and drizzle to see the day's ceremonies.
At the 21-gun salute, however, the rain stopped. The honor guards, the band music, and the laying of the memorial wreaths continued under cloudy but dry skies.
``Memorial Day leaves few hearts unmoved,'' said Rep. Owen Pickett, D-2nd District, the keynote speaker. ``Memorial Day is not about war, or peace, nor is it about a battle or an armistice. It is about people. ``We are the caretakers of their memory.''
The memorial, first dedicated eight years ago, was dotted with hundreds of small flags, many with tiny name tags bearing a veteran's name. One section was set aside for the sailors of the aircraft carrier Forrestal, including 134 killed in a 1967 fire off Vietnam.
Mayor Meyera Oberndorf also spoke at the ceremony.
On the stage, a table was set with one red rose, a yellow ribbon and five empty chairs, one for each branch of the armed forces. ILLUSTRATION: CANDICE CUSIC
The Virginian-Pilot
Richard Green and his niece, Nicole Doerrmann, 4, were among the
crowd Monday at the Tidewater Veterans Memorial.
CANDICE C. CUSIC
The Virginian-Pilot
Duke Hendershot of the Virginia Beach Chapter 20, Disabled American
Veterans, attended the Memorial Day vigil Monday at the Tidewater
Veterans Memorial in Virginia Beach.
KEYWORDS: MEMORIAL DAY by CNB