75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Attack
Madison – Today State Senator Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee) released the following statement in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
“On the morning of December 7, 1941 the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor was devastated by a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The attack led to the United States’ entry into World War II.
Our thirty second president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, described it as a “day that would live in infamy.”
All eight U.S. Navy battleships were damaged, with four sunk. 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed. 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 others were wounded in the attack.
I’ve personally visited the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor three times over my life to pay my respects to the brave heroes who had given so much for our country. Some people have tried to explain to younger generations the impact this attack had, by referring to it as America’s first “9/11,” referencing the only other significant attack on U.S. soil in modern history.
With Pearl Harbor survivors well into their 90s and some passing the century mark, their numbers are shrinking all over the United States. It appears that no one can say for sure how many of the 60,000 or so survivors are left, but as of 2015, a representative of the USS Arizona Memorial stated that only 2,000 to 2,500 survivors were thought to be still alive.
These veterans are in their twilight years, so it is appropriate on this 75th anniversary of this attack that we take the time to honor them for their bravery, thank them for their service, and let them know that we will not forget their fight to help keep our nation free.”
Senator Carpenter is the ranking Democratic member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.
