AMVETS Reflects on Pearl Harbor

This afternoon, AMVETS National Commander Jerry Hotop and AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary National President Dee Kreiling laid a memorial wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in honor of the 69th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

This year's somber event coincided with the original time of the attacks in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941.

Sixty-nine years ago today the Japanese Empire launched a brutal attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor.

The attack, which drew the United States into the Pacific Theatre of World War II, claimed the lives of more than 2,400 American servicemen--1,200 of whom remain entombed within the sunken USS Arizona in Hawaii.

Born out of WWII, AMVETS played a critical role in commissioning the memorial that now stands over the wreckage of the USS Arizona. AMVETS also helped to finance maintenance of the USS Arizona Memorial in the 1980s.

AMVETS National Headquarters also plays host to artifacts from the USS Arizona, which are housed in a special room dedicated to the sailors and Marines killed in the attack. The room contains an original inscription plaque from the memorial in Hawaii and a section of anchor from the USS Arizona.

This morning, Hotop shot a quick video in the USS Arizona Room at AMVETS National Headquarters discussing the significance of Pearl Harbor Day:



Hotop said it was important for AMVETS to remember the sacrifices of those who perished at Pearl Harbor and the men and women who went on to ensure American victory in the theaters of WWII.

AMVETS posts and departments around the country also played host to services honoring the sacrifices of American service men and women at Pearl Harbor.

AMVETS leaders continually say that remembering days such as Pearl Harbor Day are critical to preserving the legacy of our nation's bravest--particularly those who made the ultimate sacrifice on Dec. 7, 1941.

AMVETS leaders are already planning to be on hand at the memorial for next year's 70th anniversary of the attacks for a special ceremony in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice at Pearl Harbor and those who went on to fight and win the war in the Pacific.

(Photo: AMVETS National Commander Hotop and AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary National President Kreiling lay a memorial wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns this afternoon at Arlington National Cemetery. Photo by Jay Agg.)