Part of Miss. 98 Named for Pearl Harbor Veteran

LUCEDALE -- It's been 70 years coming, but A.C. Hillman will receive honor and appreciation that Americans continue to bestow upon servicemen who fought off the air and naval fighters who attacked the country's Pacific fleet in 1941.

A.C. Hillman, now 91, was aboard the USS Utah when Japanese warplanes and submarines attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Dec. 7 exactly 70 years ago today. A portion of U.S. 98 will be dedicated in his honor this Pearl Harbor Day.

Hillman and other sailors abandoned ship after using a machine gun aboard the USS California, which sank, to help stop the surprise attack that pulled the United States into World War II, something the country had been trying to directly avoid, though there had been some unofficial aide given to countries in Europe. Until that time, the country's attitude had been one of isolation, though the U.S. government and countries in the Pacific had been afraid of Japanese expansion on the region.

Our history books tell us that some 2,400 military and civilian personnel lost their lives that day. It's estimated that half of those who died were aboard the USS Arizona, which was hit by a torpedo early in the attack and sank quickly. Overall, 1,178 were wounded.

More than 21 ships were sunk or damaged, including eight battleships. All but two -- USS Arizona and USS Utah -- were raised and used during World War II, according to wikipedia.

Today, numerous services are being held across the nation, including one in Lucedale that will rename a portion of U.S. 98 in George County for Hill.  The section is between Mississippi 198 and the George-Greene County line.

According to wikipedia, U.S. Route 98 is an east-west United States highway that runs from western Mississippi to southern Florida. It was established in 1933 as a route between Pensacola, Fla., and Apalachicola, Fla., and has since been extended westward into Mississippi and eastward across the Florida Peninsula. It runs along much of the Gulf Coast between Mobile, Ala., and Crystal River, Fla., including extensive sections closely following the coast between Mobile and St. Marks, Fla.

As of 2005, the highway's western terminus is near Washington, Miss., at U.S. Route 61. Its eastern terminus is Palm Beach, Fla., at State Road A1A.

Ceremonies for the A.C. Hillman Highway take place at 6 p.m. today at the George County Middle School Activities Building, 330 Church St., Lucedale.

Because of the ages of the WWII veterans, most in their 80s and 90s, the national Pearl Harbor Survivors Assocation and it local affiliates will disband this year.