Gerard Barbosa was a 17-year-old gunner's mate sailor

Gerard Barbosa was a 17-year-old gunner's mate sailor when his ship, USS Raleigh, was attacked at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Barbosa, an East Meadow resident, was among four Pearl Harbor survivors recognized on the 69th anniversary of the attack at the Dropping of the Roses / Pearl Harbor Memorial Ceremony, Dec. 7. This is the 20th year of a tradition started by the late Joseph Stanley Hydrusko to honor those he served with at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Each year roses are dropped over the Statue of Liberty marking the time of the attack. In the attack, 21 ships were sunk or damaged, 188 aircraft were destroyed, and 2,335 service members were killed. America answered with an island-hopping campaign culminating with the iconic Marine Corps flag raising on Iwo Jima more than three years later.