Evening star., 1945-10-22
Tears Fall as Mother
Watches Ceremony
For Victims Of Sea
BY NEWBOLD MOVES. Jr.

BY NEWBOLD MOVES, Jr.
They honored the men lost at
sea in the war at the Anacostia
Naval Air Station yesterday after
noon.
They did the same thing at the
same time in 27 other places all over
the world on this Navy memorial
Sunday. At Terminal Island, Calf,
and Anchorage. Alaska; at Portland,
Greg, and Portland, Me; at Miami
and Manila, Pensacola and Pago
Pago-people stood and prayed.
Then, by order of the Secretary of
the Navy, they loaded flowers on a
boat or an airplane. took them to
the open sea, out of sight of land,
and dropped them on the water.
Nearly 300 persons gathered for the
ceremony at Anacostia. There were
lot of children and women in the
crowd; most of the men wore Navy
uniforms.
Flowers on Display.
On platform sat noted guests
and officials, including Rear Admiral
F. L. Reichmuth, commander of the
Potomac River Naval Command; /;
Capt. George A. Seitz, commanding
the air station, and Bennett Grain,
president OF the local Navy League
Eugene M. Rice and Mrs. George r.
Holmes also represented the Navy
League.
There was also a band on a plat
form, and on either, side were dis
played flowers sent or brought Tor
the. occasion. Beyond the flowers,
on each side, an honor guard of sail
ors stood at attention.
Most of the flowers came from
organizations and groups, but few
of the attached cards told their own
story. I'm memory Of my son. Will
liam H. Pearce, AAF, lost in the Pa
cific Ocean a,"-and another in
a child's scrawl: I'm memory of'my
brother, Bill Pearce." In memory
of LIT Gardner D. Randall. Car
rier Hornet, April 81. 1945," and of
Thomas N. Thompson, radioman's
mate 2/c, lost in typhoon Decem-
ber 18, 1914, on U. S. S. Spence
Mother Stands Apart.
Two little girls and boy put
their flowers with the rest. Then
they went back to their mother, a
tired woman in brown coat, who
stood little apart from the crowd
She did not seem to be crying, but
large tears spread quietly along the
wrinkles under her eyes. Her 81
year-old son, Seaman &c Clifton
Liewald, was killed off Panay last
December 80
/ The band finished playing the
Pilgrims, Chorus" and the service
opened with the hymn God of, oul
Fathers"
From wars alarms,
| From deadly pestilence,
| Be thy strong arm
Our ever sure defense -"
/ The woman wept silently. Hel
boy had been away almost three
years when he got home leave las
autumn. He had only nine days al
home, and went back to the Pacific
in September. He was dead foul
months later.
Chaplain Speaks.
1t. D. Jacobson, Jewish chaplain
of the Potomac River command, wa.
reading: Praise be to these
who went over the sea to share the
perils of oppressed peoples; whe
suffered torment and death from
fire and smoke =. who went dowr
to the sea in ships and into the all
like eagles"
i The boys mother wept. Wher
they sent her back his things, they
included some drawings he hac
done. He had always loved tt
draw, but never had much conf.
dence in his ability-the other boy.
on the ship encouraged him. Ont
was a drawing symbolic of the COM
ing of peace. Eight of his friends
died with him on the bridge of the
destroyer
i There followed a prayer, another
hymn, reading of the 23d Psalm
Capt. j. M. Moore, district chap.
lain of the Potomac command, lee
the 'Litany for Heros." Miss Lynn
Allison sang, Nov Let Us Praise
Famous Men, A bugler blew
Taps" and everybody sang Amer.
lea the Beautiful"
i Plane Takes Flowers.
I, After the benediction and thu
National Anthem the flowers wer,
loaded on an airplane, which tool
off for the nearest open sea, du,
| east, OF the coast of Delaware. Re
!, porters followed in another air.
plane to witness the dropping O
the flowers. A third ship contained
camera equipment.
i We crossed Chesapeake Bay ant
i the patchwork fields of Maryland
eastern shore. We crossed Della
{ ware. The whole countryside wa
Irusset with autumn and bright will
sun. We crossed the coast south O
lCape May and headed out to sea
i At 4::40 pm. approximately 5!
I. miles Of shore, from height o
i $500 feet, the flowers were droppet
q from the leading plane Of tn,
formation, after being blessed b.
1t. 4. T. Gootee. chaplain Of tn
air station.
4 Our ship veered away and tllrnet
back to look for them.
We did see few red flowers