USS Nevada remembered during Pearl Harbor 75th anniversary commemoration in Carson City

Carson City commemorated the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor on Wednesday by remembering the 76 crewmen on the USS Nevada who died on the historic day.

The ceremony was attended by two Nevadans who survived Pearl Harbor: Robert Lloyd, who served in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and Del Schwichtenberg, 94, who served on a U.S. Navy submarine and is a Carson City resident.

“Thank you for your service to our country and thank you for your service to Nevada,” said Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell, a retired Navy captain and Vietnam veteran. “We’re proud to have you here today.”

A third Nevadan who survived the attack, Howard Hayes, was unable to attend the event.

“To the 76 crew members of the USS Nevada, and the 426 Nevadans who died in action during World War II, I know I speak for all Nevadans when I say how thankful and how proud we are for making our battleship a legend, for the sacrifices made by you and your families, and your service to our state and to the greatest country on earth,” said Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison, the event speaker.

The Carson High School Naval JROTC presented the colors.

The flag was raised by Officer John Butler, taps were played, and the names of those who perished were read aloud and a bell rung after each name.

The flag was then lowered to half mast in honor of the fallen and, at the end, soil from Hospital Point, Oahu, was scattered.

The ceremony took place at the USS Nevada Memorial at the Capitol grounds and started at 10:51 a.m., 75 years to the minute when hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval air base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.

Hutchinson said the USS Nevada was the first ship fired upon, the first to return fire and the first to down an enemy plane.

The battleship also took part in the invasion at Normandy, and in Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

In addition to the 76 crewmen who died, 115 were wounded and two were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions at Pearl Harbor.

“We owe a debt that can never be satisfied to our veterans, except perhaps to follow in their footsteps of fighting for freedom and liberty, and to use our own circumstances and skills to improve the world around us,” said Hutchison.

The ceremony was attended by about 150 people, including some who worked nearby, such as Kim Weisenthal, who said she was with the Governor’s Office and whose father served in Vietnam with the Marine Corps, and other veterans such as Pete Akerson, a Reno resident who served with the U.S. Navy for 26 years, including two tours in Vietnam.