Rockville Centre remembers Pearl Harbor, 82 years later

Veterans with the American Legion Post 303 in Rockville Centre and the surrounding area gathered at the Mill River Park Complex in Rockville Centre on Thursday, in remembrance of the attack on Pearl Harbor that took place 82 years ago.

More than 350 Japanese aircraft launched an attack on the Hawaiian Naval base just before 8 a.m., killing more than 2,400 Americans and wounding nearly 1,200 more.

Eight of the battleships in the U.S. Navy fleet were damaged, and four of them sank, including the USS Arizona, which remained underwater as a memorial to the officers and crew who were killed on that day.

In the wake of this tragic attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt stood before Congress to deliver an iconic address, in which he referred to Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, as a “date that will live in infamy.”

“Those words chilled Americans to the bone,” Rockville Centre Mayor Francis Murray said. “Americans reeled as our sense of security was ripped from us. An enemy had come into our home and attacked us as we slept. Our national innocence was lost.”

Murray said that on that day, our veterans gathered together to honor those lost in the attacks, and to recognize the resiliency of the American spirit.

“For even though we mourned, our nation rose up and fought back,” he said. “We remember and honor the way our nation came together as brothers and sisters, and supported our President and our Armed Forces to show the world why the United States of America is the greatest country on Earth.”

Frank Colón, commander of American Legion Post No. 303, said that the attack on Pearl Harbor should equally be remembered as a day of bravery.

“We honor the survivors. The brave men whose numbers are so few. We must hear their stories and preserve their legacy and honor of their sacrifice,” Cólon said.

Following the events that took place on that fateful morning, 15 U.S. Navy sailors were presented with the Medal of Honor for their bravery in fighting off the Japanese attack.

Among the other awards given to American servicemen who distinguished themselves in combat at Pearl Harbor were 51 Naval Crosses, 53 Silver Stars, four Navy and Marine Corps medals and three Bronze Stars.

“They are not left behind, for we remember them today and always will,” Cólon remarked. “Efforts are still being made to identify the remains of those still laying entombed in Arizona.”

Colón said that even today, the U.S. military’s Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency continues to identify the remains of those who died there.

Following the ceremony, Mayor Murray and American Legion Post 303 Sergeant-at-Arms James Keane, tossed a wreath into Mill River to honor those who fought and died during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Pearl Harbor Day is not considered a national holiday, but it is recognized in communities across the country by flying the American flag at half-staff until sunset.

To learn more about Pearl Harbor, World War II, and the memorials dedicated to the USS Arizona, the USS Oklahoma and the USS Utah, visit the National Park Service website, NPS.gov, or the National World War II Museum, NationalWW2Museum.org.