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CRAIG PRAISES VETERANS OF PEARL HARBOR
Tragic attack occurred 65 years ago today
December 7, 2006
Media contact: Jeff Schrade (202)224-9126
(Washington, DC) U.S. Senator Larry Craig took time out Thursday to
praise both the survivors and those who perished sixty-five years ago
during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor.
"Those that have been called ‘the greatest generation’ began their long
journey into war on this date, December 7, 1941," said Sen. Craig, the
current Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
"Most are now in their 80's. I’m told that we are losing the survivors
of that attack at a rate of two a day. Many of them recently celebrated
what they called ‘the last reunion’ as they gathered recently in Hawaii.
While it is sad to see them leave us, their heroic actions that day and
the ongoing efforts of that greatest generation will never be forgotten.
The date which will live in infamy, December 7, 1941, began ‘a new birth
of freedom’ as Americans joined forces with other free people to defeat
the tyrannical forces of Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany."
Craig made his comments just as Congress is making its big push to wrap
up the last legislation of the year.
More than 2,400 Americans were killed and over 1,000 were wounded as a
result of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Twenty-one ships of the U.S.
Pacific Fleet were sunk or damaged, and the U.S. lost 188 aircraft. The
Japanese lost 29 aircraft and at least one mini-submarine.
During the next four years of World War II, more than 400,000 Americans
would be killed.
Efforts are now underway to raise $50 million from public and private
sources to build a new visitors center and museum at Pearl Harbor. (Info
here...
http://www.pearlharbormemorial.com/site/pp.asp?c=fqLQJ2NNG&b=238968
)The new facility will be known as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Museum &
Visitor Center. It will house an expanded state-of-the-art museum, a new
research and educational center, a library and more. Construction is set
to begin next year.
The project is a joint venture of the Arizona Memorial Museum
Association, the National Park Service and the United States Navy.
Sen. Craig toured Pearl Harbor in January while attending field hearings
in Hawaii with Sen. Daniel Akaka, the ranking member of the Committee on
Veterans’ Affairs.
"Pearl Harbor is still an active Navy port, but it is also a sacred
place. While there I took some personal time to view the battleship
Arizona (link:
http://www.nps.gov/usar/ ). It was
a memorable and moving experience," Craig said.
Additional links:
* Department of Defense -- Pearl Harbor 65th Anniversay Rememberance
link:
http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/2006/pearl2006/index.html
* National Archives -- Teaching With Documents - A Date Which Will Live
in Infamy
link:
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/day-of-infamy/
* Library of Congress - Veterans History Project
linnk: http://www.loc.gov/vets/
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Larry Scott
