Three words represent greatness of America

Have you heard of Clayton Schenkelberg? I believe I can answer that for everyone reading this letter: Of course not.

Schenkelberg died on April 14 this year in California. He died at age 103 and was believed at the time to be the oldest survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack of Dec. 7, 1941. Schenkelberg's mother died when he was 9, the Great Depression hit when he was 12 and his father was killed in an accident when he was 17. He endured a lot of hardship when young.

He joined the navy at age 20 and was a torpedoman on a submarine anchored at Pearl Harbor, while his brother was a crewman on the battleship Nevada when the attack came. He worked as a school custodian after a career of 30 years in the navy. He and his wife were married for 74 years. He was known as an "Outstanding gentleman and very humble."

America has fought many wars and famous battles starting with Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill in the Revolutionary war. WW-I brought the battle of Cantigny, Belleau Wood and the Argonne Forest, followed by Pearl Harbor and World War II with, among others, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and D-Day. During the Korean War the battles included Bloody Ridge, Chosin Reservoir, Inchon Landing and the battle for Seoul. The Vietnam War had, among many others, Hamburger Hill, Rolling Thunder and the Tet Offensive. Iraq saw Abu Ghraib, Baghdad and Fallujah, and the Afghan war included Kabul, Kandahar and Tora Bora.

Millions of American men and women fought these wars and battles, sacrificing precious life and limb.

They were typified by the Clayton Schenkelbergs of our country. Outstanding, humble and brave, they will never be forgotten as long as we always "Remember Pearl Harbor." Those three words encapsulate the greatness of America.

Steve Thompson

South Elgin