Area veterans commemorate Pearl Harbor Day

The weekend of December 6-7 was a busy one, filled with holiday craft fairs and other special events and culminating in Branson’s Adoration Parade on Sunday evening. For many veterans and others, though, it was also a day to pause and remember the events of December 7, 1941, when the surprise attack by Japanese warplanes on Pearl Harbor took many lives and precipitated the United States’ official entry into World War II. 

Commemorative events included recognition of the date during a wreath-laying ceremony; a remembrance service in Branson, and a remembrance service in Kimberling City facilitated by Veterans of the Ozarks. Lt. David “Mac” McAllister (USN Ret.) of VOTO reminded those gathered that the young Americans who died or suffered that day, along with those who served during World War II or on the home front, continue to be an example for us to follow as we observe this year’s remembrance theme, “Building Pathways to Peace.” 

Although the U.S. Naval fleet at Pearl Harbor sustained heavy damage, all of the ships except for the USS Arizona, USS Utah, and USS Oklahoma were able to be salvaged and repaired as the U.S. moved forward in the war. 

McAllister shared a personal story of the impact on his own family, as his grandfather was stationed in Hawaii as a government contractor; his parents met there, and his father served in World War II. Mac now reminds his own family regularly of their history and legacy. For those of us who knew people personally impacted by Pearl Harbor, or have been privileged to know family who fought in World War II, it is important to rededicate ourselves to remembering how the Greatest Generation saved us from tyranny, honoring their accomplishments, and using their example as we continue forward. 

The Japanese admiral who coordinated the Pearl Harbor attack reportedly wrote in his diary, “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.” Whether or not the remark is accurate, the Greatest Generation moved ahead with a coordinated effort of patriotism and faith that, as McAllister reminded those gathered on Sunday, has not been equaled since. Many lined up to volunteer for active military service, while countless others creatively and patiently “made do” as factories retooled from peacetime production to supplies and equipment for the war effort. 

Just as our nation united under the motto “Remember Pearl Harbor” in 1941, McAllister challenged Sunday’s attendees that we must continue to remember and embrace not just the victory of arms but a renewed commitment to the Greatest Generation’s legacy. That challenge should impact all of us, to stay involved in our communities and train our children and grandchildren, doing our part to build pathways toward a secure and peaceful future for them.