CLEVELAND — As the nation marks 81 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor, the USS Cod Submarine Memorial hosted a commemoration at its North Coast Harbor location in Cleveland on Wednesday.
The program included a wreath-casting ceremony by the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors along with a 21-gun salute.
There was also a "Master Salute" given in honor of America's armed forces.
“This extremely loud salute has never been attempted before in a Cod anniversary program,” organizers explained in a press release.
You can watch the moment of the Master Salute in the video below:
We streamed the entire memorial service from the USS Cod, which you can watch in full below:
Carol Gladys and Lois Heinekin were at the memorial service on Wednesday to honor their fathers, both of whom were U.S. Navy veterans and Pearl Harbor survivors.
"He was at Pearl Harbor at the time of the bombing," said Heinekin of her father. "He was on the USS Tangier Navy ship."
The USS Cod is a 312-foot WWII Navy fleet submarine that was built as part of America’s response to the Japanese attack on US naval and land forces in Oahu, including Pearl Harbor, on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941.
“USS Cod performed seven war patrols in her WWII career, sinking more than 15 enemy ships and performed history’s only international submarine rescue when she saved the lives of 55 Dutch submariners after their boat grounded on Ladd Reef in July, 1945,” officials explain.
The USS Cod, which is located at 1201 North Marginal Road, is open on Saturdays for tours throughout the winter season from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
In addition to the ceremony at the USS Cod, schools across Northeast Ohio also paid their respects to those who gave their lives on Dec. 7, 1941. In Avon Lake, students at Learwood Middle School dedicated a day of remembrance with a 21-gun salute by the American Legion Post 211.
"We recognize those who have sacrificed themselves for what we get to live in," explained Learwood principal Vishtasp Nuggud. "We have lots of freedoms that others don't and it wasn't free. It's important for us to remember that."
Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally posted in a previous story on Aug. 18, 2021.