Photo: Official U.S. Navy photograph. "USS Arizona, at Height of Fire, Following Japanese Aerial Attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii." December 7, 1941. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.
Thank you Admiral Conway, Chairman Young, Congressman Abercrombie, Congressman Frelinghuysen, Secretary Higgins, Admiral Blair, Secretary Morales, flag and general officers, distinguished guests, honored survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor, fellow Sailors, ladies and gentlemen - Good morning.
Pearl Harbor is a special place to this Nation and to the United States Navy. For 60 years now we have remembered this day.
Our ships come and go, and every ship that comes by this site renders honors to USS ARIZONA, paying tribute to this ship and the Sailors our nation lost that day.
In the peaceful, quiet calm that enfolds this memorial this morning, it is difficult for me to imagine the shock, the chaos, the violence, the death that gripped this beautiful harbor sixty years ago - and several wars ago.
Imagine the smoke, the flames, the shattering noises, the screaming bombs, the rush of torpedoes, the broken ships and planes, and our men running to their battle stations, running to fight, and broken lives. For most of us, these things are simply beyond comprehension.
Relatively few Americans today have come face-to-face with the horrors of war. A diminishing number fought in the global war that -- for the United States -- began here.
There are very few, indeed, who can say, "I was at Pearl Harbor." Yet such men are among us her today, and they honor us with their presence - the Pearl Harbor Survivors.
By my best count there are 21 of you here today - representing the hundreds who will be in Hawaii for this commemorative event. I want to thank you for coming. But even more so, I want to thank you for your great service to our country. I want you to know that I am very proud of to be part of a generation that simply followed you. Collectively, we all salute you this morning.
There are few phrases in the English language that evoke awe, that connote a truly special meaning. But, such is the case with the phrase, "I was at Pearl Harbor." There is no need for a survivor to say the date -- it is branded forever in our national memory. As our president at the time said, it is a date that "lives in infamy." For those of us who lived in the last half of the 20th Century, it is a date that stands out in American history. It is unique. "Before Pearl Harbor" was quite literally a different era than "after Pearl Harbor." Every American learns the Pledge of Allegiance - every American is taught about George Washington -- every American knows about Pearl Harbor. What happened here profoundly altered our national experience. It is part of who we are as a people.
This morning, we come to this place - again. We gather to pay homage to the heroes of a war long over. As we come this time, we are at war again - our homeland attacked.
As we pause to commemorate the bravery and sacrifices of these shipmates, we draw strength from the world-changing events of Sunday, December 7th, 1941 - especially here at USS ARIZONA where so many Sailors and Marines are entombed. In this solemn memorial, I am reminded of the words spoken during an earlier war, a terrible civil war. President Lincoln said, "From these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion."
Freedom - Government of the people, by the people, for the people - these are the most important treasures for those who live in the land of the free.
Freedom and democracy are an inheritance, hard-won by past generations for us to enjoy.
But freedom and democracy are also the unfinished work that is left for us to defend, to carry forward, and to hand down to future generations. Now we are at war with enemies who hate freedom and democracy. They want a society of coercion. They want a political order of force. Their brand of tyranny is willing to resort to terror, and the slaughter of innocents.
The Americans of 1941 answered the call. Today, Americans are doing so again. It's our turn. It is time for us to rededicate our lives to the cause of freedom, so that children in our nation and others will enjoy the fruits of freedom.
We citizens of the United States have a profound responsibility to protect this nation, the self-evident truths on which it was founded and the Constitution under which it has flourished. In this mission, we act not only for ourselves and our society, but in the concert of many nations - including our now close ally, Japan, and the community of nations that recognize the free world must stop the threat posed by this recent version of terror. Together let us stay the course.
In 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor was followed by grim months of defeat and frustration in the Pacific until the Battle of Midway in June 1942. It was more than three tough years before victory was sealed onboard USS MISSOURI, moored just a few hundred yards away.
As with that struggle, this new war is likely to be long and challenging. To win, we must show the same dedication and fortitude that our forefathers displayed during the Second World War. I have every confidence that we will do so.
On 11 September, your Navy and Marine Corps team was ready. Your Fleet was ready to respond to the orders of the President and the will Congress. We were ready to fight and we are winning today.
Today's young Americans, young Sailors, young Marines - along with their comrades in the Army, and Air Force and Coast Guard -- they are as dedicated, as brave, and as determined as their predecessors. They are as equipped, with the example of fortitude and determination that grew from Pearl Harbor. They are motivated by your examples of service and heroism. They cherish the stories of the greatest generation. They, like you, are carrying the banner of freedom throughout this world.
Many of them are over there right now, afloat and ashore, taking the fight to our enemies. Many are on watch elsewhere in other distant parts of the world. Many are getting ready to go, as their President asked them to do. These young people, of whom I am so proud, are all doing a magnificent job.
With the steadfast support of the American people and our friends around the world, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen of this generation will do their part to win this war, to secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our children and generations of Americans yet to come - just like you did.
To the memory and legacy of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, to those resting in this hallowed place, we extend again the thanks of a grateful nation. We extend the promise that their sacrifice will be honored. All of us who serve and wear the cloth of the nation today - we commit, we promise anew to do our duty so that America will remain the beacon of hope, the lighthouse of freedom, and the bastion of liberty. We make this promise in the memory of those who served and gave their lives in this place.