80th Pearl Harbor Day Commemoration

80TH COMMEMORATION

Valor, Sacrifice and Peace

By Jim McCoy, Pacific Historic Parks

On a day threatened by inclement weather, some 150 World War II veterans made the journey to Pearl Harbor to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the attack that changed the world.

The group included 32 Pearl Harbor survivors and 13 civilians who survived the day of Infamy. And while those numbers were impressive, they pale compared to years past when significant anniversaries such as the 50th and 75th drew so many more.

“As each year passes, we say goodbye to more and more friends who served on December 7, 1941,” Pearl Harbor National Memorial Superintendent Tom Leatherman said in his speech. “In the years to come we will have fewer and fewer first-person accounts. But our resolve to ensure their stories are not forgotten will only get stronger.”

The theme of the 80th Commemoration was Valor, Sacrifice and Peace. U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro delivered the keynote address.

“We gather today to remember all of those that we lost on that infamous day. But we also gather to honor the bravery and the skill of all who fought back, those that saved lives, and those that persevered,” Del Toro said. “Because it wasn’t just the fleet that was attacked here at Pearl Harbor, it wasn’t just our nation, it was the very future of freedom and democracy around the world.” Rear Admiral Timothy J. Kott praised the veterans in attendance and those viewing worldwide via livestream.

“Your steadfast endurance and gallantry continue to inspire and set the absolute standard for today’s generations of Americans following in your footsteps serving our country both in and out of uniform,” Kott said.

President Joe Biden and USS Arizona survivor Lou Conter delivered audio messages.

The president recalled a visit he made to the USS Arizona Memorial a decade ago in which he and family members viewed the shrine room wall displaying the 1,177 names of USS Arizona crewmembers killed that day.

"Seeing those names inscribed in the marble, sprinkling flower petals into the sea, I brought my granddaughter Naomi with me, because we must always remember what Pearl Harbor meant for our country, generation after generation, to honor those who perished, salute the courage of the greatest generation who stood to defend our nation and our values in the world,” Biden said.

Conter, who recently turned 100, honored all who served that fateful day.

"I was aboard the USS Arizona that morning and witnessed the awful destruction first hand. I'm grateful to have survived to have had the opportunity to serve throughout World War II,” Conter said. “But for thousands of people the first day of the war was also the last they saw of it. The loss of those lives showed us what was at stake.”

Conter said courage and sacrifice ignited a spark that rallied Americans all across the country and redefined the meaning of service.

Millions of Americans mobilized overnight, and that included women who joined the service or worked in factories taking the place of male workers who headed off to war. “December 7 changed our lives,” Conter said.

But so many of the men and women who served are now gone. Many of those still with us are too frail to travel to Pearl Harbor, and the complications from the COVID-19 pandemic along with a thunderstorm thrashing the islands December 6 complicated travel plans for the 80th. Still the faces of the veterans in attendance reflected the theme: Valor, Sacrifice and Peace.

The 80th event had many of the traditions of past commemorations, a pass-in-review; a Hawaiian blessing, wreath presentations, a benediction, a rifle salute by U.S. Marines and Echo Taps by the U.S. Pacific Fleet Band.

But it also had a significant backdrop. The Navy’s newest guided missile destroyer, the USS Daniel Inouye, named after the Medal of Honor recipient, was pier side preparing for a formal commissioning ceremony the next day.

In his speech, Admiral Kott pointed out the passing of U.S. Senator Bob Dole two days prior on Dec. 5, and the deep friendship and respect Senator Dole and Senator Inouye, who died in 2012, had for decades following grievous injuries both men suffered in Italy during World War II. They met in Percy Jones Army Hospital in Michigan while recovering. Both ran for Congress from different states and political parties.

“Senators and Lt. Inouye and Dole, great friends and battle buddies now reunited in formation on the eternal parade field, served our country in both war and peace, with civility, to ensure our continued freedom and opportunity,” Admiral Kott said in his speech at Kilo Pier. “They are just but one example of your generation, the greatest generation. Thank you to each and every one of you for attending today and allowing us this once in a lifetime opportunity to honor you in person here and throughout the world.”