80 Years Ago

Today, the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, we remember and honor those who gave their lives in the service of America, especially those who died on that Sunday morning 80 years ago.

Jerome Szematowicz, Mahanoy City High School class of 1938, enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps shortly after graduation. Jerome had a love of aeronautics long before his enlistment. He was a member of the Mahanoy City Air Corps, a group of young men who flew gasoline powered model airplanes in and around Mahanoy City.

After graduating from the Casey Jones School of Aeronautics in Flushing, New York, Jerome began active duty. In May of 1940 the new Air Corps mechanic shipped out for Hawaii.

The paper below was written by Laura Harris Veit in 2001 as part of a high school writing assignment. Laura, the grand neice of Private Szematowicz, traveled to Hawaii as part of her research for the paper.

Special thanks to Joan Harris, Laura's mother, for donating a copy of the paper to the Mahanoy Area Historical Society. Thanks also to Shirley Ryan for providing photos taken by Dr. Joseph Glaudel who was a friend of Jerome.

Note:The Szematowicz family had two sons that made the supreme sacrifice in World War II. Jerome's older brother Stanley S. Szemaowicz lost his life as a member of the United States Army in Italy.