Message from Councilman Roc White | December 9, 2022
On December 7, flags in Scotch Plains were flown at half-mast until sunset to honor and remember the 2,403 Americans who lost their lives in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on what was supposed to be a calm morning in 1941.
The brazen attack led to the United States declaring war on Japan the very next day, as our nation was brought into World War II. FDR vowed the attack at Pearl Harbor would live in infamy. More than 80 years later, it has. This year, like every year, we are commemorating the attack at Pearl Harbor, remembering the souls lost that day and the sacrifices made over four grueling years of war.
In 1994, the U.S. Congress designated December 7 each year as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. It is not a federal holiday – our government offices, public schools, and businesses did not close on Wednesday. But I was pleased to see special events held throughout Union County in memory of those killed or injured at Pearl Harbor.
We owe it to the Greatest Generation to never forget the tragedy that took place, as well as ensure our children continue to learn about this major turning point in history in school and at home.
I’ve continually written about how America continues to lose its last remaining men and woman who sacrificed in World War II. In fact, every recipient of the nation’s highest award for valor in World War II — 473 exceptional human beings — has passed, the last being Hershel Woody Williams, 98, who died at the end of June.
His death marks our last connection with a rare breed and underlines just how few of the men and women from the Greatest Generation — some 16 million Americans served in the war — remain with us today. Accurate figures are tough to come by, but the U.S. Department of Defense believes less than 200,000 enlistees are still alive, with only a fraction who saw combat.
Remembering Pearl Harbor grows with importance every year, as we will very soon have no more eyewitnesses who can share first-hand accounts. With each passing anniversary of Pearl Harbor, the ranks become thinner of individuals who can recall that early Sunday morning attack on the island of Oahu when the Pacific fleet was decimated.
According to the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, Inc., an organization of descendants of military personnel who were stationed at Pearl Harbor and other military installations on the island, there are less than 75 soldiers alive who were there on Dec. 7, 1941.
Few truly understand the gravity of the day, witnesses to a devastation that haunted them throughout their lives.
In my service in the U.S. Marines as a Gulf War veteran, I have been privileged and honored to have spoken with men and women, from different races and backgrounds, who witnessed key moments in World War II, such as Pearl Harbor. Many were deeply modest and reluctant to talk about themselves, humbly dismissing heroics as just doing the job.
Everyone wanted to win the war and go home to family and friends. To do so, required great bravery and sacrifice.
I hope this week’s remembrance serves as yet another teaching tool about World War II and the people who gave their lives for the true cost of freedom. Pearl Harbor continues to be a haunting moment in American history, one which we need to remember each and every year for its tremendous significance and loss.
As we mark the steady passing of the Greatest Generation, it is our duty to pass the torch to our children, recalling the sacrifice of survivors, honoring those lost and never underestimating the eternal value of democracy.
