RICHMOND, Va. -- Through a wintry rain, active-duty military, veterans, and family members of Pearl Harbor survivors gathered at the Virginia War Memorial for the Commonwealth’s Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony.
Dec. 7, 2022, marked the 81st anniversary of one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. soil in history. Nearly 4,000 American soldiers and civilians died in the surprise air strike by the Japanese, including 44 Virginians.
The United States entered World War II in the days following the attack.
During the ceremony Wednesday, each of their names was read aloud at the Shrine of Memory and memorial wreaths were laid.
Naval Cpt. Greg Keithly (Ret), the keynote speaker for the event, said that day 81 years ago still resonates in modern America:
“If you look at President Roosevelt's comments after that initial declaration of a day in infamy, he also talks about our absolute victory that would follow. And that's important because that shows American resolve, and the only way you get there is a united nation that supports and defends the Constitution."
"Starting with December 7 and through World War Two and to today, that defines our way of life and, so we all owe it to ourselves to support and defend the Constitution, whether you're in uniform or not.
"The Constitution as it was formed, included some compromise, but it was working together. And I think we've become so polarized today, that we're just unwilling to look at each other.
"We need to get back to the fundamentals. And that's why December 7, to me is so much more than just a day."
"We owe it to the greatest generation and every generation that sacrifice their life for the Constitution."
Visitors to the Virginia War Memorial can learn the story of a Virginia soldier who survived the Pearl Harbor attack as part of the “Who They Were: Lives Worth Knowing” exhibit through the end of the year.
