Pearl Harbor survivors in Chicago area are gone; Mundelein brothers make sure memory lives on

The last veteran in northern Illinois who lived through the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor is gone, but the mission to preserve the memory of that historic day remains strong.

Family members of nine Pearl Harbor survivors will assemble Friday at Great Lakes Naval Station in North Chicago to pay tribute to those who served and commemorate what President Franklin D. Roosevelt described as "a date which will live in infamy."

The living history of the region's survivors of the Japanese surprise attack ended in January with the death of 97-year-old Zion resident and Navy veteran Joe Triolo.

While no eyewitnesses will be at this year's ceremony, their family members have forged a bond inspired by the recollections of their patriarchs and unified by two brothers from Mundelein who refuse to let the light of Pearl Harbor history dim.

"It's the right thing to do," says Eric "Rick" Miller, who has continued to rally survivors and their families since the death of his father, Clarence, 18 years ago.

Clarence Miller served on the USS Ramsay and was at Pearl Harbor the day of the attack.

"We never thought about not doing it anymore," says his brother, Bob, who will serve as master of ceremonies Friday. "The younger generation needs to know what this is about."

Because the event is held on the naval base, it is open only to invited guests, not the general public. Among those there will be Keith Hancock, a Morton Grove resident, and his brother, Rory, of Wheeling. Their father was stationed at Pearl Harbor and was there for the attack - two days after his 20th birthday.

"Imagine being 20 years old and seeing all this," Keith Hancock said.

"It's amazing what these guys did and what they gave up," he added. "Never forget. That's the whole thing."

The Miller brothers grew up with their dad's memories of that day and came to know several local survivors from tagging along to lunches and meetings of the Northern Illinois Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.

On the 50th anniversary in 1991, Rick Miller built his dad a display case containing a model of the Ramsay and other items. During the ensuing 27 years, the Millers have assembled a large collection of artifacts that will be available for viewing after the ceremony.

Clarence Miller died in 2000, and one of his final wishes was to have some of his ashes scattered at Pearl Harbor. The brothers contacted the Navy and their father received full military honors as the ashes were spread near the USS Arizona memorial.

They kept in touch with local survivors, and in 2003 they began attending the annual Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremony in Chicago. After that disbanded, the Millers in 2012 began organizing their own event - first at Oakton Place, a senior citizen residence, and later at the Prairie Lakes Theater in Des Plaines.

Throughout, Great Lakes supported the efforts with its commander as keynote speaker, rifle teams and the Navy band, Rick Miller said. This year, the Navy enthusiastically agreed to host.

"We thought it would bring the ceremony back to its roots, where my dad and the other survivors had gone to basic training in 1940," Eric Miller said.

"The whole thing felt right. It felt to us like this event should 'come home' to Great Lakes," spokesman John Sheppard said. The National Museum of the American Sailor is co-hosting.

This is the seventh commemoration organized by the Millers, as members of the Sons & Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors. The Pearl Harbor Survivors Association Illinois Chapter 1 and Mike Lake Commander of VFW Post 2992 in Des Plaines are the other organizers.

"We knew as Sons and Daughters, we weren't going to let it go away," Bob Miller said.

"It's come full circle," added Rick Miller. "It's really snowballed this year."

Schaumburg native and award-winning cinematographer Paolo Cascio, whose "Final Salute" captured the reunion of four crew members of the USS Arizona, are among the guests. He'll share his story and never before seen images of the Arizona survivors and show a short film "A Tribute to Valor."