REPORTER CENTRAL KITSAP
KITSAP WEEKLY INSIDE: Tropical Kitsap: Why some birds spend the winter here.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2015 | Vol. 32, No. 9 | WWW.CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.COM | 50¢
IN THIS EDITION NEWS Woman leads police on wild car chase
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NEWS Donation given to West Hill Academy
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OPINION Women may be required to enlist for draft
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CRIME Tips to prevent holiday season theft
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Pearl Harbor survivors honored at Naval ceremony 1941 attack was ‘the day the modern U.S. Navy was born,’ commander says BY CHRIS TUCKER CTUCKER@CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.COM
KEYPORT — At the end of the 22nd annual Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony at Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Capt. Francis Spencer III, commanding officer for the center, shook hands with five servicemen who had been at Pearl Harbor on that fateful day. The five were among a couple hundred people who sat in the sea-green chairs at Jack Murdock Auditorium for the ceremony. They listened to speeches and to musical performances by Navy Band Northwest and The Keyport Singers. “Dec. 7, 1941, was in many ways the day that the modern U.S. Navy was born,” Spencer said, addressing the audience. While the Japanese had severely damaged the U.S. battleship fleet, other important naval assets were not destroyed. “Our submarines, our aircraft carriers and our shore installations — those platforms made up the trinity that was instrumental in winning the Pacific war. Our submarines went from a defensive posture with limited range to being our greatest asymmetrical advantage over the axis. The ‘silent service’ took the battle to the enemy,
Chris Tucker / staff photo
Capt. Francis Spencer III, left, who is commanding officer of Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Keyport, shakes hands with Pearl Harbor survivor Frank Mattausch during a remembrance ceremony Dec. 7. sinking more enemy tonnage than any other type of vessel, cutting off enemy supply lines and exhausting the fighting strength of our adversaries,” Spencer said. “In June, during the Battle of Midway, naval aviation turned the tide of the war and put our nation on the offensive.” Shore installations such as Keyport
‘Shop With a Cop’ brings early Christmas to kids BY PETER O’CAIN POCAIN@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
POULSBO — About 110 cops lined the front of Walmart Dec. 5 awaiting a motorcade. They weren’t greeting politicians or dignitaries or celebrities. They were waiting for two busloads of kids to arrive so they could take them shopping. It’s a program called “Shop With a Cop,” and they’ve been active in Kitsap County for more than a decade. Lead organizer Lt. Penny Sapp, a recruiting coordinator with Kitsap
County Corrections, said the program is a way for law enforcement officers to give back to the community and build relationships with youths. “Some of the kids need positive views of law enforcement,” Sapp said. The kids were given $100 from “Shop With a Cop,” as well as $25 from United Way. The $25 came with two stipulations: They could only use it to buy something practical, like a jacket or school supplies, and they had to spend it on themselves. SEE SHOP COP, A9
and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard gave the U.S. resiliency, he said, in a war of attrition where industrial might would make the difference between stalemate and victory. After four years, the “Greatest Generation” came home, Spencer said. “Those who served in World War II understood that this country is safer and more secure when others are free.
They also understood, then, that vigilance and deterrence could never take a holiday. Threats come at what can seem the most peaceful of times, in what seem the most peaceful of places.” Hawaii prior to the attack was an idyllic spot for service members, said Commander Dustin Demorest with SEE PEARL HARBOR, A9
TRACYTON TREE LIT UP Chris Tucker / staff photo
People attending the Tracyton Community Christmas Celebration Dec. 6 stand under umbrellas and tents to avoid getting drenched by rainfall as the tree is lit. The event was held at Tracyton United Methodist Church. A band played, and Santa even came by in a fire truck to see the children.
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