JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Dozens of veterans from World War II and the Korean War were honored at the Annual Pearl Harbor Remembrance event held at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena on Sunday.
“I got drafted, I got right in on the tail end of World War II," said Julian Myra, an Army veteran.
Myra is preparing for his 96th birthday on Monday but says he still remembers when he was 26 years old, and just starting his military service.
“I went to Germany the first time. Then the Korean War they kept me in the States. I worked at the States and I worked for the Army headquarters," Myra said.
He is just one of a handful of World War II and Korean War veterans being honored at this remembrance event, hosted by the ‘We Can Be Heroes' Foundation, a national non-profit headquartered in Jacksonville.
“17 years old, forced my parents into signing my papers for joining the Navy," James Snellen, a Navy Veteran, said. “My ship was one of the, one of the first that I recall that entered Nagasaki after the bomb was dropped.”
Money raised during the event from raffles will go to help Atlantic Coast Young Marines visit historic Pearl Harbor sites.
Sean Vernon is a Young Marine Sergeant Major who is following in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, a Marine who served in World War II.
“It’s really, really important for civilians and other people just to realize how much these veterans need our appreciation and need our love. Not just World War II veterans, but all veterans in general need our love and support," Vernon said.