Veterans Gather In Baltimore To Commemorate 71st Anniversary of Pearl Harbor
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- On Friday, America honors and remembers the victims and survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
As Kai Jacksonreports, survivors also gathered in Baltimore for a ceremony commemorating its 71st anniversary.
The attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941 united America.
It galvanized the country's will in the 20th century in a way few events ever have.
71 years after the attack, World War II veterans, active duty military members and other remember and honor those killed.
They commemorated the anniversary onboard the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Taney, which is now a museum in Baltimore.
Thomas Talbott was at Pearl Harbor when the attack happened.
"On that day with the bomb and blood and fire, fire and everything going on at the same time, it was breath, it was breathtaking. You could hardly breathe," Talbott recalled.
Over 2400 Americans were killed and 15 vessels, including battleships and destroyers, were damaged or sunk in the attack.
The Taney is the only ship still floating today that fought in Pearl Harbor. It is a historic vessel, whose home port is Baltimore.
"As we remember those who died and those who survived Pearl Harbor, I ask that you keep this new generation in your thoughts and prayers as they go about their duties protecting our freedoms," said Maj. Gen. James Adkins, the adjutant general of Maryland.
The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor to keep the U.S. Pacific fleet from interfering with Japanese plans to seize natural resources in Southeast Asia.
