PASCO, Wash. – The community gathered for a Memorial Day ceremony to honor veterans and remember those who sacrificed their lives for the country. The event was a poignant reminder of the true meaning of the day.
Sergeant Major Walter Castilleja Jr. emphasized the importance of paying tribute to the fallen, including Pasco’s own Harold Comstock. “Yes, we can enjoy the long weekend. We can be with our families… But it does mean we need to stand where we even have the freedom to do those things,” he said.
Comstock, a captain of the football team in high school, had been offered a scholarship to Gonzaga University. He started his freshman year at Gonzaga before enlisting in February 1941, ten months before the Pearl Harbor attack.
Reflecting on Comstock’s final moments aboard the USS Arizona, Castilleja shared his thoughts: “I thought to myself, how did his day start on that? On that one morning? Not knowing in that day he will lose his life, and America would be thrust into what you did.”
Comstock’s bravery and sacrifice remain a mystery, but his contribution to America’s freedom is honored. “Maybe he administered first aid to wounded shipmates on the Arizona when he provided comfort to a dying comrade. World will never know what he did on that fateful day, but we do know he lost his life on the Arizona that morning,” Castilleja added.
Harold Comstock was only 20 years old when he lost his life. His story and countless others serve as reminders of the high price of freedom. “I like to think he took the fight to the enemy on that Sunday morning, after collecting my thoughts, I said to him, I don’t know you, but I want to thank you. You and your fellow servicemen for serving our country, making the ultimate sacrifice and giving us the freedom that we have today,” Castilleja stated.
The ceremony at City View Cemetery brought the community together to reflect and remember the sacrifices made by veterans like Comstock.
