[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 186 (Tuesday, December 6, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8372-S8373]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMEMORATING THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE JAPANESE ATTACK ON PEARL 
                                 HARBOR

  Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, on December 7, 70 years ago, just before 8 
in the morning local time, the first wave of 183 Japanese imperial 
aircraft descended upon the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor. A 
second wave of 170 aircraft followed to make sure that as much damage 
was done as possible. Within 2 hours, this unwarranted act of 
aggression left four U.S. Navy battleships, three cruisers, three 
destroyers, an anti aircraft training ship, one minelayer and 188 U.S. 
aircraft destroyed. The attack left devastation and havoc in its wake, 
taking the lives of 2,402 Americans and wounding 1,282. The Imperial 
Japanese Navy conducted this attack in order to limit U.S. military 
intervention capabilities in respect to Japanese imperial ambitions in 
the Pacific arena.
  On that day that President Roosevelt so aptly said would ``live in 
infamy,'' the Japanese Empire left something behind amongst the 
smoldering ruins of our Navy. They left behind a unified people in 
which they ``awakened the beast.'' Out of the ashes of Pearl Harbor was 
reborn an even stronger American Navy, economy, and people.
  For the younger generations of today, Pearl Harbor was a remote event 
in an era long gone. But to people like Army PFC. Merle Berdine, of 
Valparaiso, IN, who was sitting in the warm Hawaiian sunshine in front 
of his barracks at Fort Kamehameha that fateful Sunday morning, this 
act of aggression was an attack on the present. Pearl Harbor wasn't 
just part of his collective history that he shared with his nation, it 
became part of his personal history, shaping and defining him. At 7:54 
a.m. Merle was a soldier going through his daily routine and finishing 
up his 1-year rotation at Pearl Harbor. At 7:55 a.m. he was a man under 
attack in a nation at war, digging a trench to withstand the 
bombardment and wondering whether he

[[Page S8373]]

was going to see his family again. By 11 a.m., he was dealing with a 
new reality, one in which he was saying goodbye to more than 2,000 of 
his brothers. Within 24 hours, he was a soldier for a nation at war 
with Japan, within 48 hours, that war had grown.
  We as a nation oftentimes take the sacrifice Merle and his fellow 
servicemembers have made for granted. They sacrificed their time, their 
personal health, and far too often their lives to let us as a nation 
live free and prosper. Without their sacrifices we would be living in a 
very different world today and no amount of gratitude can ever be 
enough. But we must try, and we must, most importantly, remember.
  I am proud to say that, at last count, 60 of these heroes who 
experienced the horror of Pearl Harbor call Indiana home. But, as with 
all World War II veterans, this proud generation is shrinking. Just 
last year, six Pearl Harbor veterans passed away in our State. 
According to the Pearl Harbor Survivors, only 25 of them are able to be 
active members of their community. The rapid decline and increasing 
immobility of this generation poses many dangers to the memory of Pearl 
Harbor.
  Today, we remember their sacrifice, we discuss the events of the day, 
the lessons of history are reviewed, we collectively remember, and, if 
you know a veteran of Pearl Harbor, we should slow down and listen 
before the opportunity passes.
  Since 2002, I have been leading the effort in Indiana to record oral 
history interviews with Pearl Harbor survivors and all veterans as part 
of the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. In addition to the 
stories of 104 Hoosier Pearl Harbor survivors already archived at the 
Library of Congress, I have submitted the histories of over 10,000 
veterans for permanent inclusion in our national history. As a veteran 
of the U.S. Navy, I know the memories and life changing experiences 
gained from serving our country, and I am pleased to help ensure that 
Hoosier veterans are able to record their personal stories so that we 
can all learn about and appreciate their tremendous sacrifice.
  One of the most important lessons of Pearl Harbor was that the 
adversaries of the United States are multiple and active. We learned 
that we must always be prepared. On September 11, 2001, we were 
painfully reminded of these lessons.
  As we recognize these historical events, I call attention to the 
97,800 military personnel who today are on the ground in Afghanistan, 
with a total of 129,200 deployed to the region aboard ships at sea, on 
bases, and at air stations in the region supporting Operation Enduring 
Freedom. We are down now to only about 12,500 military personnel 
deployed to Iraq, yet some 79,105 are still deployed to the region 
aboard ships at sea, on bases, and air stations in support of the 
redeployment of that force. Since 2003, 4,474 have been killed in Iraq 
operations, and 1,733 have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001.
  These men and women continue to answer the call to serve a cause 
greater than themselves, as those men did that fateful day in Pearl 
Harbor 70 years ago. I ask my colleagues to join me in humbly honoring 
Private First Class Berdine and all those who have and continue to 
serve our Nation in uniform for their inspirational service.

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