‘Remember Pearl Harbor’

Months after the attack, a Belleville, Ill., man dedicated a monument acknowledging those who fought and died. 

Would you believe America’s first monument to the Battle of Pearl Harbor is not in Honolulu?

It’s true. The USS Arizona Memorial was dedicated in 1962, but an earlier monument to all who survived or were killed at Pearl Harbor was dedicated in Belleville, Ill., across the river from St. Louis, in 1942.

It happened like this. On Dec. 7, 1941, George E. Hoffman was a 25-year-old lieutenant aboard USS Chew, a light destroyer anchored close to Battleship Row. At 7:55 a.m., the claxon sounded battle stations. America was under attack by the Empire of Japan. An hour later, the Pacific Fleet lay in ruins, and our nation was at war.

Back home, Hoffman’s uncle and namesake – retired farmer George E. Hoffman – was filled with dread. He didn’t know if his nephew was alive or dead. Five anxious weeks went by. Finally, he received a postcard. It began, “I live.”

In relief and gratitude, the older Hoffman was inspired to commission a monument to the battle. It is an imposing 11 feet tall and made of Vermont granite; on one side is an ornate cross and the words, “Because I live, ye shall live also. John 14:19.” On the reverse, with the Army and Navy crests, is etched, “To those who gave much and those who gave all. The baptism of fire – Pearl Harbor – Dec. 7, 1941. Dedicated to Geo. E. Hoffman of the U.S.S. Chew. By his uncle, George E. Hoffman.”

The monument was designed, built, shipped and erected by July 1942. We claim it to be the first in the United States to commemorate the Pearl Harbor attack. It is located in the historic John Messinger Cemetery near Belleville. Messinger was a founder of the State of Illinois and the great-grandfather of the elder George Hoffman.

My father, Frederic W. Baue Sr., was also on the Chew. His Naval Reserve unit was activated in December 1940, sent to Honolulu and assigned to the ship. He was chief torpedoman, also responsible for depth charges. He told me he was eating breakfast when the alarm sounded. He thought it was a drill, but no, the attack had begun. He manned a machine gun. As the battle continued, a Japanese torpedo plane made a low pass by Chew toward Battleship Row. The pilot waved; Pop shot him down, and a second plane too. After Chew got underway, the ship reported sinking two Japanese mini submarines near the mouth of the harbor. (Later evidence refuted this claim.)

After the war, my dad became a funeral director in St. Charles, Mo. He was a leader in the community, and never missed a meeting of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. “We’d get together, have a few beers and fight the war over again,” he’d say. Pop raised me, my brother Kurt and my sister Jane with the motto, “Remember Pearl Harbor.”

In time, I became a pastor of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. One day, while serving Bethany Lutheran Church near Belleville, I was coming back from lunch and noticed a historical marker for John Messinger Cemetery. I pulled in. The first thing I saw was a large, impressive stone monument. When I read the inscription, I nearly fainted. Here was the name of an officer on USS Chew – the same ship my dad served on! They would have known each other.

That was in 2011, the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. I was inspired to start a small, simple commemoration in honor of those who defended our country that day. Our ceremony began at 11:55 a.m. Central time (0755 Pacific) on Dec. 7, and included an invocation, presentation of colors, the Pledge of Allegiance and national anthem, a wreath-laying, taps, a moment of silence and a benediction.

The ceremony has continued through the years. The St. Clair County Historical Society now owns the cemetery; executive director Will Shannon is working toward national recognition of the monument. Meanwhile, Charles A. Woodford American Legion Post 2007 of Swansea, Ill., led by Commander Jim Page, has taken responsibility for the cemetery, monument and annual Pearl Harbor Day ceremony.

This year’s commemoration will be Saturday Dec. 6 at 11:55 a.m. Central time.

In 2024, former U.S. Rep. and retired Army Maj. Gen. Bill Enyart spoke at the service, and Jerry Sauerwein of Post 2007 led the Pledge of Allegiance. The year before, retired Navy Rear Adm. Scott Jones addressed the crowd on the lessons of Pearl Harbor.

“Every generation has its epoch-making event – something big and important and unforgettable, after which nothing is ever the same again,” Shannon says. “For my generation, it was 9/11. For my parents, it was Kennedy’s assassination. For my grandparents, it was Pearl Harbor.”

For a small gathering of patriots in an obscure Illinois cemetery, and for America as a whole, Pearl Harbor reminds us that our country has enemies who mean us harm, and that the price of freedom is strength, readiness and resolve. Always.

The Rev. Frederic Baue Jr. is an Army veteran and chaplain for American Legion Post 111 in Shrewsbury, Mo.