Saturday, May 17th is Armed Forces Day. The Guest Speaker at our regular meeting will be LCDR Lou Conter, USN (Ret.) who served aboard the USS Arizona when it was attacked at Pearl Harbor.
The following press release went out to local media:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 12, 2014
Contact: Dave Gilliard
(916) 626-6804
Pearl Harbor Survivor LCDR Lou Conter USN (Ret.)
to speak at Gold Country Chapter,
Sons of the American Revolution Meeting
on Armed Forces Day in Auburn
AUBURN, CA — The public is invited to join the Gold Country Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution as they comemorate Armed Forces Day on Saturday, May 17th at 9:00 AM at their meeting held in Lou La Bonte’s Restaurant at 13460 Lincoln Way, Auburn, CA. The meeting’s Guest Speaker will be LCDR Lou Conter, USN (Ret.) who served aboard the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
On the morning of 7 Dec 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack against the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Over 2,400 casualties and many more wounded resulted from the attack, which led directly to America’s entry into World War II.
The battleship USS Arizona was lost, with her dead accounting for nearly half lost in the attack. One of the fortunate survivors of the attack was Lou Conter, then 20 years old and serving aboard the Arizona. Conter went on to become a naval aviator and flew many dangerous missions in the Pacific Theater. Though he was shot down twice he continued a long career in the Navy retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Commander in 1967.
Conter, now in his nineties, resides in Nevada County.
SAR members are patriotic Americans who have traced their family tree back to a point of having an ancestor who fought for or actively supported the cause of American Independence during the years 1774-1783. They are a non-profit, educational group dedicated to keeping America’s history alive for future generations. If you are interested in joining, but don’t know if you have a Revolutionary War ancestor, we want to help. Visit GoldCountrySAR.com to fill out an on-line form that will get you started.
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