WWII veteran shares memories at Batavia High School

Today is the anniversary of a defining moment in U.S. history: Dec. 7, 1941.

Japanese bombers hit Pearl Harbor just before 8 a.m. Five of eight battleships at Pearl Harbor were sunk or sinking and the rest were damaged. Most of the other ships and combat aircraft were also knocked out of service. More than 2,400 Americans were dead.

The Pearl Harbor attack surprised and enraged Americans. The country came together to support the military in the effort to attain world peace and end the war. Young men from across the country again signed on to fight in defense of our country.

Elwyn Rider - of Michigan and grandfather to Jeneva Rider of Batavia - was one of those who made the trip west to fight against Japan. He became a Marine.

"The closer we got to the west coast, the more we realized what an impact the bombing of Pearl Harbor had on our country," Rider said. "The people on the west coast were in fear that the Japanese would attack. San Diego draped the buildings in netting to camouflage them against aerial attacks. There were more blackouts and even the trains traveled with the shades down to block the light in the cars."

For Rider, the realization of the situation came when he saw "Battleship Harbor."

"When we saw all for the battleships lined up in the harbor, that's when we realized that this really was war." he said. The veteran was at Batavia High School sharing his war experiences with Barbara Donat's American History class which is studying World War II. Rider's granddaughter, Jeneva, is a student in the class.

"Most Americans have no idea what war is really like," said Rider. "Many of those who were in the service don't want to talk about it."

There were certain things that Rider didn't talk about but he did give the students an idea of what it was like to be a Marine stationed off the coast of Japan during World War II.

"You got $5 more in pay for every weapon that you mastered," he added. "You would have to hit a target the size of a dime. I got to be pretty good and I became part of the assault squadron."

Rider qualified for the job of flame thrower, explaining that meant that you had to be fast and carry two tanks on your back, one with compressed air and one with napalm. They used matches to light the napalm. He attended the military funeral for two other flamethrowers who did not make it home.

Like many, he fought for three years without a furlough. He saw the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"When we first heard about the bomb dropping we didn't believe it," he said. "It came across the radio and the radio operator told us that we had dropped a bomb that wiped out an entire city. We assumed that it was like the blockbusters that the Germans had dropped on London. Then the radio operator told us that another bomb had been dropped and another city had been taken out."

When asked if it was necessary to take that action, he said: "I know if they hadn't, I wouldn't be here today. There would have been casualties in the millions."

He learned Japanese while in the service and was able to help with interpreting. He thinks every American should learn a second language and encouraged the students to do so. He felt that by knowing Japanese he could interact with the people of Japan in the towns that they visited looking for weapons.

"I loved playing baseball and actually spent five years in the minor league after the war," he said. "We got a game going with some of the Japanese and we won. One of their players was good. He had won a lot of medals. After the game he came to me and gave me all of his medals because he felt I was a better player. I still have them."

One of the men whom the Marines adored was Bob Hope. He brought five USO groups to entertain for them.

"Bing Crosby's brother, Bob, was our athletic director. So we had a lot of entertainers come, but Bob Hope was the best because he got right to the troops. He would eat with us and he always brought a Miss America," said Rider with a laugh and a twinkle in his eye.

When the Marine returned home, he played minor league baseball and became a plumber. He had experienced some of the worst battles of the war, including Iwo Jima, where the Marines had the highest casualties of all time. He raised his family and began talking with students about the war five years ago.

"I was fighting for my country," he said. "It wasn't easy, but it was necessary to protect our freedom."