Dec. 7, 1941, is, in the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt a date that was supposed to live in infamy. Unfortunately, with seven decades having past, the date may no longer inspire Americans to remember the horrific events that transpired when Japanese fighter planes attacked the military installations on Oahu in Hawaii, specifically Pearl Harbor Naval Base.
On that day, which is collectively referred to as the worst day in military history, 2,408 people were killed and another 1,178 were wounded, while many more suffered unrecorded injuries. In less than 90 minutes, the attacks changed the tone of the world and became the catalyst for the United State's entry into World War II.
The Pearl Harbor Survivors' Association (PHSA), founded in 1958 and granted a federal charter in 1985, was created to promote remembrance about the attacks and to connect those that had lived to tell the tale. As part of that, the group worked to raise money to help build the WWII Memorial and presented a check for $14,500,000 to (then) Senator Bob Dole, chair of the fund. When the monument was erected in 2004, close to 25,000 PHSA members were able to attend the opening ceremony.
William Muehleib, current president of the PHSA, is one of those individuals. He served in the Army Air Corps and was stationed at Hickam Air Force Base at the time of the attacks.
"It is impressive," Muehleib said, in reference to Pearl Harbor. "It is the number one visited park in the country and I think it is because people cannot begin to understand what happened without seeing it and paying tribute."
At its peak, the group had upwards of 29,000 members, however, in recent years those numbers have dropped off significantly and according to Muehleib, they now claim just 2,000 living members.
"Age is catching up to us," he said. "But this day should always mean something to those in the military and every American."
Though there are seven living survivors located in the Tacoma/Seattle area, they were unavailable for comment.
For more information on the PSHA or the events of Dec. 7 1941, visit www.pearlharborsurvivorsonline.org.
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