Stephens Funeral Home, Krocks Road, Upper Macungie Township, once again provided the community with a moving Veterans Day service during the afternoon of Nov. 11.

Titled, “Honoring All Who Have Served,” the ceremony was a time for reflection, respect, admiration and camaraderie.

Matthew Stephens, supervisor of Stephens Funeral Home offered an introduction.

“When the nation rises to salute and honor the service of our brave war veterans, a feeling of pride swells in all our heart,” said Stephens. “I know that our gratitude and love can in no way match their sacrifice, however, we can make a beginning by acknowledging them in any way we can.”

Stephens gave special thanks to American Legion Post No. 576 which provided military honors for the service along with one of its members unable to attend, but “resting at home and with us in spirit.”

Stephens summarized the meaning of the day.

“Thanksgiving is a day when we pause to give thanks for the things we have. Veterans Day is the day when we pause to give thanks to the people who fought for the things we have today.”

Following the Pledge of Allegiance and then an opening prayer by Navy Chaplain Richard Stough, the special highlight of the afternoon began.

“A Veteran’s Story” was presented by Chief Petty Officer Hank Kudzik, a U.S. Navy World War II veteran who served on the submarine USS Nautilus (SS-168, built in 1930).

Kudzik spoke openly about his time on the Nautilus and his experiences at the Battle of Midway.

His crystal clear wartime stories were filled with details.

There was occasional levity, but mostly a deep and honest reflection of events that occurred some 70 years ago.

“The year was 1941, Dec. 7, to be exact,” began Kudzik. “I was …this boy was 16 years old. The bombing of Pearl Harbor was quite difficult for me to accept. I didn’t know what to do with my life. I still had a year to go at school.

“Two days after Christmas that year, I went to the recruiting office and decided I wanted to join the Navy.”

According to Kudzik, the paperwork was drawn up and he was instructed to come on his birthday to be sworn in.

“How quick time flies,” he said.

Kudzik said he soon was in Pearl Harbor.

“What a mess,” he said. “The oil was all over the place. My first work detail was to help to remove the sailors who had perished on the Oklahoma. Not a very pleasant task. I didn’t really expect that. It was quite a shock.”

He then experienced the explosion of a Japanese submarine, a mere 20 feet from where he was working on a carrier.

“I wanted to be released from that work detail. Things weren’t going that well.”

At his continued insistence, Kudzik got his transfer to submarine duty.

“They released me in May and toward the end of May a submarine came into Pearl by the name of Nautilus No. 168, and I was a crew member on the first war patrol.

“We didn’t know what a war was,” he said.

“This was the first battle for the Nautilus and this was the first chance we had to fight back. We were sent to the Northwestern Midway.

“We were never in a battle before. We didn’t even know how close we needed to be to sink a carrier.”

“And that began my years as a submarine sailor.”

Spoken as if they occurred yesterday, Kudzik shared with raw emotion successes and defeats associated with encountering enemy ships, assisting in sinking a wounded Japanese aircraft carrier, and surviving numerous depth charges.

During a lighter moment, he told the story of a group of nuns the sailors were assigned to rescue by bringing them aboard their submarine.

The sisters were being evacuated from the Japanese-held island of Bougainville, a strategic holding for the Imperial Japanese forces.

Most sobering to those in attendance, and to Kudzik himself, was the difficult duty of providing a proper, respectful interment for his comrades at sea, particularly a young man named Harry whom he had befriended.

“With deepest sorrow I had to bury my friend…you know send his soul to the sea,” he said quietly.

Kudzik concluded with a few words he attributed to an old German poem, “There are no roses on a sailor’s grave. No lilies on an ocean wave. The only tribute is the seagull’s sweeps, and the teardrops that a sweetheart weeps.”

“For those of you who go down to the sea in ships, farewell. I hope we meet again.”

The indoor ceremony culminated in a slide- show of photographs and biographies of veterans of all ages, young and old, here and gone, set to patriotic music.

And finally, a procession outside to the garden for military honors, followed by food and fellowship.

“There was a wonderful turnout this year,” commented Matthew Stephens, whose family continuously opens their hearts to the members of the community they serve.

A handcrafted heart was made especially for each veteran or family honoring a veteran and presented by the Stephens’ family as a symbol of gratitude and thanks.