NEWS

Some dates will forever be seared into the collective U.S. consciousness.

For recent generations, that life-changing date is Sept. 11, 2001. For the Greatest Generation, it was Dec. 7, 1941, the day Japan bombed a sleeping Pearl Harbor during the wee hours of a Sunday morning. The attack killed 2,043 Americans and pulled the U.S. into a second terrible, world-wide war.

Seventy-five years after experiencing the “Day That Would Live in Infamy,” veterans who lived through the attack on Pearl Harbor are fast disappearing, and first-hand accounts of that day slip away with the passage of time. The remaining Pearl Harbor veterans, now in their 80’s and 90’s, increasingly rely on the “Valor in the Pacific” National Monument to help tell their story instead.

The national monument’s collection of memorials tells the story of that awful December day, as well as other battles in the Pacific theater. Tragically, many WWII veterans died before they could visit the memorial honoring them and their buddies, and time is running out for the remaining veterans to see it.

Fairborn resident and 96-year-old local WWII hero, Rolla Edward (“Ed”) Malan, is one of the veterans still waiting to take the trip of a lifetime.

Malan served as a Navy Machinist Mate Second Class on the USS Preble from 1939-1945. Malan was asleep when the sounds of bombs and gunfire jerked him awake on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941. Malan and other soldiers in his barracks watched in confusion as hundreds of Japanese war planes attacked the base.

“You saw it, but you couldn’t believe it,” Malan has said in previous interviews, “We wondered what was going on...we didn’t think we was at war. It was exciting (at first) and then it was scary...After that, we got mad. By that time, most of the damage was done.”

Although Japanese planes never hit the part of the base where Malan was located, he could clearly see where the stricken places lay, as thick black smoke and fire filled the skies over a shocked Pearl Harbor.

Decades years later, people still thank the humble Malan for his service, but Malan insists he doesn’t need thanked as he “didn’t do much of anything.”

But Malan’s young art teacher and friend, Terri Lynn Perkins, and members of the Miami Valley chapter of “Patriot Pin Ups Inc.,” a non-profit Veterans’ charity organization, want Malan to know just how much his service has mattered.

Perkins and the ladies of Patriot Pin Ups Inc. are raising funds to send Malan on the trip he has waited a lifetime to take. They want to make Malan’s dream of finally seeing the Valor in the Pacific National Monument a reality.

What makes the effort especially poignant is that this is the Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Due to Malan’s advanced age, time is obviously of the essence. Perkins and the Patriot Pin Ups would like to send Malan on his trip sometime in September or early October.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing the memorial...that’s all I care about,” says Malan, who also says he is very grateful for the efforts being taken on his behalf.

The trip costs $6,000, which includes Malan’s airfare, food, lodging, admission fees, and a nurse to accompany him. According to the effort’s “Go Fund Me” page, only $550 has been raised so far.

Any excess monies raised will be donated to Honor Flight’s Dayton Chapter, so other veterans from the Greatest Generation have the opportunity to see their memorials in Washington D.C.

“Please help us make this true “Dream Come True” happen for Ed,” says Perkins.

More information about the progress of Malan’s journey can be found at https://www.facebook.com/sendedtopearlharbor/ or by calling the Terri Lynn Art Studio and Gallery at (937) 308-6955.

There are several options available to make donations towards Malan’s Pearl Harbor Memorial trip:

1) Perkin’s Go Fund Me page at //www.gofundme.com/2q33w7sc

2) Using Pay Pal through the Patriot Pin Ups Miami Valley Chapter at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (please specify “Ed’s Trip”)

3) Checks made out to Patriot Pinup (add “Ed’s Trip” to the memo line) can be sent to: PO Box 340574, Beavercreek, Ohio 45432.

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