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At Pearl Harbor ceremony, a ‘pact between generations’

A ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack was held aboard the USS Cassin Young, a ship named after a Navy commander who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the attack. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

Riflemen fired a ceremonial salute, Boston fireboats shot streams of water over the harbor, and veterans joined family members of Pearl Harbor sailors Wednesday to cast wreaths adrift as hundreds gathered to observe the 75th anniversary of the attack that shook the nation.

Aboard the USS Cassin Young in Charlestown Navy Yard, participants spoke solemnly of the heroism and sacrifice of those caught up in the surprise Japanese attack on a Hawaiian military installation.

More than 2,400 people died in the bombardment that launched the United States into World War II.

Each year, there are fewer and fewer people alive with memories of the attack, but Michael Creasey, superintendent of Boston’s national parks, said he and many others are working to make sure people can connect with the events that shaped today’s world.

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“We are committed to this pact between generations, a promise from the past, to the present, to the future,” he said.

The event came as families and friends across the nation honored the surviving veterans who endured the attack.

At the Brookdale Quincy Bay nursing home, fellow residents joined public officials and sailors to honor resident William Keith, 94, who was aboard the USS West Virginia in Pearl Harbor. On that day, 106 of his shipmates were fatally wounded.

Four generations of Keith’s family paid homage. He watched quietly as those gathered presented him with gifts, including a memorial flag from the US Naval War College.

“As I look and see your wife and children, and . . . your grandchildren and great-grandchildren, it is truly a legacy,” said state Senator John F. Keenan, a Quincy Democrat. “When we look at them, we understand what it is that your generation did for our generations.”

In Charlestown, the observance was in a particularly meaningful location. The Cassin Young, a destroyer docked at the Navy Yard and staffed by the National Park Service, is named for a Navy captain awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Pearl Harbor.

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He died in 1942 during the Battle of Guadalcanal.

The commander’s grandson, himself a Navy man, spoke at the event, telling stories about the ancestor he never met. Lieutenant Commander Cassin Young II, now retired, told of his grandfather’s bravery and sense of duty.

“He was a dedicated family man and naval officer,” Young said. His grandfather had written about his surprise at earning the Medal of Honor, he said, telling a correspondent, “I was just lucky being in command of a great ship with a great crew.”

Also at the ceremony was Franklin Van Valkenburgh, the great-grandson and namesake of the captain on the USS Arizona during the Pearl Harbor attack. The battleship sank, killing 1,104.

He called on those present to use Pearl Harbor as a way to “make sure we’re reconnecting with something that’s actually truly important to us, something that we might otherwise lose sight of: Our freedom, our ability to help each other, our ability . . . to think of who comes after us.”

Marian Curtis, of Revere, said she has seen the character of the Pearl Harbor remembrance shift over the years. Her husband, William Frank Curtis, survived the attack as a seaman on the USS Nevada. He died 18 years ago, she said.

Curtis said she was heartened by the crowd aboard the Cassin Young, and also those who stood ashore to watch the ceremony. Still, she wished more people had turned out.

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“The esprit de corps is not like it was in the past, but I was happy to see so many people, especially on the dock,” Curtis said. “So there are people who care.’


Andy Rosen can be reached at andrew.rosen@globe.com.