Seaman Cecil Roy Ruddock of Pass Christian was one of the first deaths in Pearl Harbor nearly 76 years ago on December 7, 1941 aboard the USS Arizona. The “day of infamy” will be remembered for the lives lost and setting the foundation for the US entering World War II.
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 5931 is the honorary post of Ruddock in Pass Christian, which will recognize his service by setting flowers on his gravestone in Live Oak Cemetery next Thursday.
According to VFW Post 5931 Quartermaster Joseph Boisvenue, “these fallen heroes gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom and way of life. We should never forget their sacrifice and honor their memory.”
“He [Ruddock] is interred on the ship, but there is a gravestone in the cemetery with his name on it.”
Along with nostalgia fom this day, important historical events such as 32nd President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “infamy speech” in his address to Congress on December 8 will be discussed.
VFW Post 5931 meets monthly on the third Tuesday of each month at the Hancock Annex Building on Davis Avenue in downtown Pass Christian.
