When recalling the morning of December 7, 1941, U.S. Navy veteran William “Bill” Chase noted how the usual thundering of aircraft heard across Pearl Harbor from Hickam Air Base sounded different. “Being an Arkansas farm boy, I didn’t know.”

Just shy of 8:00 a.m., the island of Oahu – the primary home to U.S. Pacific Fleet operations – was engulfed in the shadow of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s aerial fleet overhead. The United States was under attack.

Eighty-four years later, the significance of that moment still resonates with the generations that have followed. The courageous actions of Marines and sailors racing to battle stations, nurses rendering aid amid chaos, and civilian firefighters combating flames and destruction all stand out in our collective memory. Now, the world has the privilege of honoring their heroism and sacrifices, as well as countless others who contributed to the war, forever. 

That includes Arkansans from all walks of life. 

One was a dear friend and mentor, the late former Congressman John Paul Hammerschmidt who, as a young man reeling from the devastation in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, withdrew his enrollment from West Point and began working in a naval shipyard, eventually serving in the Army Air Corps as a decorated pilot. There are likely many more stories of young Natural State residents who were compelled to enlist as a direct result of the attack. 

President Franklin Roosevelt famously described December 7, 1941, as “a date which will live in infamy.” We observe that anniversary annually as Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day by recognizing service and sacrifice, including that of the more than 50 Arkansans who lost their lives. 

Since the early 1990s, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), which bears the immense responsibility of finding and identifying missing American servicemembers around the world, has accounted for 21 Arkansans killed in World War II, 12 of whom were at Pearl Harbor. In 2018, its diligent personnel successfully confirmed the remains of Navy Water Tender 2nd Class Clarence M. Lockwood, a Smithton native who perished serving on the USS Oklahoma on the day of Japan’s assault.

Every time I enter my office on Capitol Hill, I walk by the POW/MIA flag that symbolizes the obligation we have to our servicemembers. No matter how long they have been gone or where they rest, our nation remains committed to never giving up the search until every family waiting for answers can find peace.  

There are many ways to honor them. Arkansans can pay their respects to our state’s Pearl Harbor heroes at a monument within the Little Rock National Cemetery, dedicated by survivors of the assault, or visit the numerous World War II monuments and shrines across our state. These include the Arkansas State Capitol World War II Memorial or the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum in North Little Rock, which is home to the USS Hoga and the USS Razorback, the former a tugboat that helped rescue survivors at Pearl Harbor while the latter was one of the longest-serving submarines in American history and was present in Japan when the empire formally surrendered, ending the war.

As time passes, it only becomes more important to pay respects to the Greatest Generation and keep their legacies alive. 

When we remember Pearl Harbor we can do so in awe of the veterans it forged and the sacrifices they made that still influence and shape our world today. December 7 continues to live in infamy, and we must never let it pass without solemn reflection and eternal gratitude.