Local Chapters commemorate 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor

Members of the William Whitley Chapter of the NSDAR (above), met with the NSSAR and community to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

On Wednesday, December 7, members of the William Whitley Chapter of the NSDAR, the Charles A. Gatliff Chapter NSSAR and members of the community met at the Veterans Memorial at the Whitley County Court House to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

December 7, 1941, started as a typical Sunday morning at Pearl Harbor Service men were planning for a Sunday day of liberty and families at home were planning a joyful 1941 Christmas celebration. On that “day in infamy” shortly before 8 a.m. Japan launched roughly 200 planes from six aircraft carriers in its first wave of Operation Hawaii—forever to be known by Americans as “the attack on Pearl Harbor”, it claimed the lives of 2,400 civilian and service personnel and injured 1400. On December 8, President Roosevelt asked congress to declare war against Japan. The soldiers and sailors who survived that attack continued to defend America for the duration of the war. Christmas, 1941 was spent in a state of war.

Although their numbers dwindle with each passing year, their messages of sacrifice and bravery are timeless.

It is important that organizations such as the DAR, SAR and Veterans groups continue to promote commemoration ceremonies observing important historical events that have shaped our Country and its people.

The goals of DAR and SAR are to promote historic preservation, patriotism, and education. Today we demonstrate that responsibility to ensure that the sacrifices made by our veterans are not forgotten by future generations.

Continued observance of such events will promote the ideas of freedom and democracy for your children and grandchildren.