Heroes Remembered During the 68th Pearl Harbor Day
(December 9, 2009) | 
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| PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy and the National Park
Service hosted a joint memorial ceremony at Kilo Pier on
Naval Station (NAVSTA) Pearl Harbor to commemorate the 68th
anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7.
More than 2,000 people attended the event, including 45
survivors of the bombing, which took the U.S. by surprise 68
years ago. The theme of this year's ceremony was "But Not in
Shame."
To observe the start of the attack at 7:55 a.m., the Pearl
Harbor-based guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70)
blew the ship's whistle, which commenced a moment of
silence. Then, from the west, a formation of four F-15
Eagles from the Hawaii Air National Guard stationed at
Hickam Air Force Base performed a missing-man flyover past
Kilo Pier while Lake Erie rendered honors to both the USS
Arizona Memorial and to Pearl Harbor survivors.
The honorable Linda Lingle, governor of the state of
Hawai'i, served as one of the ceremony's guest speakers and
talked about the importance of honoring the service members
involved in the attack.
"Today we are blessed and honored to have so many survivors
with us for today's ceremony," said Lingle. "Their legacy
continues on today and will be continued on by their
children and the grandchildren. The men and women who gave
their lives on that morning 68 years ago are with us today
through spirit. We take pride in their service to our
country."
Featured speaker Adm. Patrick Walsh, commander U.S. Pacific
Fleet, thanked the survivors for their sacrifice and efforts
throughout the war.
"We are here today to honor and thank all of the men and
women who served throughout World War II and those who were
involved with the attack on Pearl Harbor," said Walsh. "It
is such an honor to stand in the presence of people who gave
so much of themselves and their lives so that we can live
lives of promise, potential and opportunity."
Following the guest speakers' remarks, 16 wreaths were
presented in honor of the service members who perished on
the nine ships bombed during the attack, the five branches
of the U.S. military, the state of Hawai'i and the National
Park Service.
Pearl Harbor survivor Art Herriford, national president for
Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, expressed the
significance of honoring the survivors and the fallen
service members during the attack 68 years ago.
"Anytime I come to Pearl Harbor, it is with reverence," said
Herriford, who was stationed aboard USS Detroit at the time
of the attack. "During the attack I saw the USS Arizona get
bombed and sink within a matter of minutes, killing 1,177
Sailors and Marines. Today we honor them and everyone that
was involved with the attack."
To conclude the ceremony, the U.S. Marine Corps Rifle Team
from Camp H.M. Smith, Hawai'i, executed a 21-gun salute; the
U.S. Pacific Fleet Band performed taps; and tug boats
assigned to NAVSTA Pearl Harbor delivered a water tribute to
those who served in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
Throughout the day, around Pearl Harbor, other events were
held in conjunction with the early morning ceremony to
further honor those who defended the harbor during the
attack. | |
By Navy MCS 2nd Class Robert Stirrup
Commander,
Navy Region Hawaii Public Affairs
Copyright 2009
Reprinted from
Navy News Service
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