JAY — A wreath-laying ceremony was held at the Jay POW/MIA bridge on Monday in observance of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

Members of Frank L. Mitchell Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3335, George Bunten American Legion Post 10 and sons of Lane-Dube AMVETS Post 33 were joined by several auxiliary members and others from the community at the ceremony. The VFW color guard also participated.

Don Simoneau, past state commander of the American Legion, said a prayer that spoke of being on the verge of another type of world war due to almost daily terrorist attacks around the world. He remembered the 33 lives lost on the SS El Faro that sank Oct. 1 in Hurricane Joaquin in the Caribbean.

Simoneau went to to speaking about the “unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor 74 years ago when over 2,500 lives were lost.” It drew the United States into World War II.

“We must never forget that during that war more than 400,000 men and women, just from the United States, were lost,” Simoneau said.

WWII veteran Cliff Tenny placed a wreath in the Androscoggin River in remembrance of the attack by the Japanese.

Jay Police Chief Richard Caton placed a wreath in memory of Master Chief Albert Friedman and his brother, 1st class fireman Sidney Friedman, of the USS Luce that sank during the Pearl Harbor attack. He also remembered Albert’s son, Sidney Friedman, who served in the Navy.

Sons of AMVETS Post 33 gave a gun salute and Old Crow Indian Band Director Paul Harnden played taps.

Following the ceremony, everyone was invited to the Frank L. Mitchell VFW Post 3335 in Jay for coffee, doughnuts and muffins.

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