Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Gabrielle Joyner | 160801-N-WC566-064 HONOLULU -- (Aug. 1, 2016) Kathy Upchuch, eldest daughter of...... read more read more
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HONOLULU -- The ashes of Cmdr. Raymond J. Orr were interred in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl during a ceremony August 1.
Orr’s children, grandchildren and other family members were among those in attendance.
“The ceremony was amazing and not what I was expecting. There were so many more personnel here than I expected,” said Kathy Upchuch, Orr’s eldest daughter. “It really was wonderful.”
Military honors included a gun salute and the presentation of the burial flag to the family by Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Honors and Ceremonial Guard. Retired Master Chief Petty Officer Jim Taylor, Pearl Harbor Survivor liaison, re-counted Orr’s stories from December 7th.
On December 7th, Orr, a 19-year-old seaman at the time, was on his way to the church service on the Bagley-class destroyer USS Bagley (DD 386) when he heard the drone of approaching planes.
“There were a couple of serendipitous things that happened during the ceremony,” said Jim Orr, Orr’s youngest son. "For example, at the beginning a single plane flew over as Taylor was beginning to talk about the planes that my dad saw, and the light rain that started when we placed the urn. ”
In 1943, Orr received a commission after receiving a recommendation from his skipper. He then departed the Bagley and enrolled into Princeton University. He continued climbing through the ranks until 1965 when he retired from active duty as a commander.
After the ceremony, Jim Orr spoke about his father’s ability to connect with other people, as well as his compassion and understanding.
“To him, I think being a hero was not what he understood his role to be. I always admired his capacity and his grace to comprehend the humanity of his ostensible enemy during WWII,” said Jim Orr. “More than once, he said, he found himself in the middle of a battle thinking, ‘that poor guy on the other side is just like me.’”
Since Orr was a witness of Pearl Harbor and a high-ranking officer, he became an important and respected voice against the futility of war, exemplified by the realities he could never forget, according to Orr’s family. Orr’s messages were heard at Memorial Day commemorations, Veteran’s Day events and as part of his yearly visits with schoolchildren while relating his wartime experiences.
| Date Taken: | 08.01.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 08.02.2016 15:52 |
| Story ID: | 205846 |
| Location: | HONOLULU, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 277 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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