A dwindling few Americans were alive 80 years ago when America entered World War II.

The Japanese attack on the U.S. Naval Fleet at Pearl Harbor – America’s “Day of Infamy,” in the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt – claimed 2,345 American lives while much of the U. S. Pacific Fleet was crippled and nearly all of the U.S. airpower in the region was destroyed. FDR, the next day, asked Congress to declare war on Japan. Three days after that, Germany and Italy formally declared war on the U.S., all of which signaled this nation’s entry into World War II.

Our images of that day come mostly from archive photos, Hollywood, and The History Channel. The black and white footage shows the smoldering USS Arizona on its way to a watery grave. As of 2013, 2,000 to 2,500 survivors were thought to be still alive, according to Eileen Martinez, chief of interpretation for the USS Arizona Memorial.

Many more of us have vivid recollections of the 9-11 tragedy as a day that both terrified us and shaped America as a nation, but it was December 7, 1941 that thrust America into the global role it still serves. That’s why we mark the day by tossing a wreath into the nearest body of water.

It’s also a day for Veterans organizations to remember their fallen comrades.

While some 4,000 people tour the site of the Pearl Harbor attack each day and 1.5 million visit the USS Arizona Memorial annually, the dark moment in history fades farther into memory. We owe it to that Greatest Generation that came before to keep that memory alive. Out of that awful day came the struggle, heroism and sacrifice that defined that generation and made America great.
We must never forget.