[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 148 (Monday, December 8, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6379-S6381]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 ANNIVERSARY OF THE PEARL HARBOR ATTACK

  Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, yesterday at events all around Florida and 
across the country, America marked the 73rd anniversary of the attack 
on Pearl Harbor--a day known not only for its tragedy but also for its 
role in shaping the destiny of what has come to be called the 
``greatest generation.'' It is a generation that faced challenges 
unlike any seen before or since. It saw a decade of widespread 
prosperity crumble into the deepest depression in American history, and 
it saw the deepest depression in American history give way to the 
deadliest war in human history.
  The scope of hardship, destruction, and wickedness they faced was 
exceeded only by the strength and valor with which they responded. 
Theirs is a generation that truly saved the world. I don't think any 
other generation at any time can have that said of them with the same 
bluntness.
  Today that generation passes its stories on to us. They are our 
parents and grandparents, our ancestors and our heritage. Their stories 
are emblems of strength that inspire us as we meet our challenges in 
this new century.
  Yesterday we honored the almost 2,500 Americans who were killed on 
that day of infamy 73 years ago--unsuspecting servicemembers, innocent 
men and women, but today we have a chance to honor the sacrifices made 
in response to that attack.
  It was on this very day 73 years ago that President Roosevelt 
famously came before Congress to ask for a declaration of war. He 
expressed his confidence that the American people would rally to defend 
their Nation, saying: ``The people of the United States have already 
formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very 
life and safety of our Nation.''
  He was right. In the days that followed, 5 million Americans dropped 
everything to volunteer for the Armed Forces. No one asked them to do 
it; they just did it. Tens of millions more entered the draft or 
assisted the war effort at home, and the American people became the 
arsenal of democracy almost overnight.
  In the latter years of his life, I had the honor of meeting and 
working with a man who was at Pearl Harbor. He was in Pearl Harbor that 
day and fought on foreign battlefields in the years that followed, even 
losing a limb. I am

[[Page S6380]]

speaking, of course, of the legendary leader with whom we are all 
familiar, Senator Daniel Inouye. He was born and raised in Hawaii and 
was 17 years old on December 7, 1941. When the attack on Pearl Harbor 
occurred, he rushed to the scene to help treat the wounded. He enlisted 
in the Army the first chance he got and went on to receive the Medal of 
Honor for his valor.
  When the smoke of World War II finally cleared, his legacy of service 
was just beginning. He would go on to serve Hawaii in both the Senate 
and the House. By the time of his death, Senator Inouye was the second-
longest serving Senator in United States history. I was privileged to 
count him as my colleague, though for too brief a time.
  Like Senator Inouye, I also had the privilege of representing many 
veterans of World War II, including some who survived the attack on 
Pearl Harbor. At last count, there are over 140 Pearl Harbor survivors 
living in Florida, and I wish to tell you the stories of three of those 
men.
  One is SgtMajMC William Braddock of Pensacola. I recently had the 
privilege of hearing his account of what happened that Sunday morning 
in Hawaii. Major Braddock had joined the Marine Corps the year prior to 
the attack. That morning he was in the messhall preparing for duty when 
he heard the first explosion. He ran outside and was met with 
pandemonium.
  Ships that had been stretched out peacefully in the sun moments 
before were now engulfed in flames, blanketing the harbor in black 
smoke. He watched a torpedo drop in the water and seconds later explode 
into the side of the USS Oklahoma. He described the stain of oil on the 
water and the way flames shot up from it, and the horror of watching 
sailors trapped in the fire. Amidst the confusion and shouting of 
orders, he recalled how little he could do to save lives and how 
helpless he felt.

  Following the attack, Major Braddock went on to fight bravely in some 
of the key battles in World War II. He fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima 
and remembers vividly the day the iconic flag was raised above the 
island. He was in the occupational forces in Japan after the 
devastation of the atomic bombs. But despite all the horrors he 
witnessed, Major Braddock did not retire from the armed services the 
first chance he got. On the contrary, he went on to 27 years of 
distinguished service in the Marine Corps.
  I can't help but be humbled hearing such a story. Major Braddock is a 
man who fought out of duty and love of his country. He saw himself as a 
citizen soldier--even recalling the way his experience hunting rabbits 
in the fields around his house as a boy actually prepared him for Iwo 
Jima. He is humbled regarding his role. He says he tries not to give 
too much thought to it when he doesn't have to.
  That same modesty is the hallmark of another story, the story of a 
Pearl Harbor survivor who lives in Palm Beach County today. His name is 
Wayne Myrick, and he was a chief machinist's mate on the USS Blue at 
the time of the attack.
  Within seconds of the first explosion, Chief Petty Officer Myrick had 
rushed to gather ammunition and help operate the guns aboard that 
destroyer. But as a chief machinist, his attention soon turned to other 
matters. The captain of the USS Blue was eager to get the ship out on 
open water, but the boilers beneath deck were off line.
  Under intense gunfire, Chief Petty Officer Myrick and his crew 
members scrambled to get the boilers working and eventually managed to 
give the ship the maneuvering speed to move out. With his help, the USS 
Blue was one of the first vessels to make it to open water and was able 
to down five enemy aircraft and at least one submarine.
  Chief Petty Officer Myrick recalled how important his oath was to him 
that day. He and every one of his shipmates took an oath when they 
enlisted that commanded them to follow their orders and defend their 
country from all enemies, and he viewed that oath as a solemn and 
sacred one because it was a reminder that service to one's country is 
about more than self. He had a simple but powerful message he wanted me 
to share today: Be very proud to serve your country.
  Finally, I wish to share the story of CDR Hal Sullivan of 
Jacksonville. Commander Sullivan joined the U.S. Navy when he was 23 
years old. He was on the bridge of a destroyer that Sunday morning, 
tasked with operating the sonar equipment and helping sweep for mines. 
When the first explosion rocked the harbor, he looked up to see a 
Japanese plane bank sharply overhead. In fact, it was so close to him, 
he could see the expression on the face of the pilot. He even recalled 
wryly that he could have thrown a potato right into the cockpit if he 
had had one handy.
  Before he could process what was happening, gunfire swept over the 
deck and struck the sailor next to him in the jaw. Commander Sullivan 
hoisted the man up and helped him to a medic. He spoke of looking up 
and seeing the USS Arizona rolling over with its belly up in flames as 
flames shot out its side. He saw sailors struggling in the water.
  Commander Sullivan insists that his job isn't worthy of fame and that 
his contribution that day was simply the execution of duty. But through 
that humility I can't help but see a hero--a man as selfless as he is 
brave, a man who put the lives of others above his own, not just that 
day but for decades to come. You see, Commander Hal Sullivan went on to 
serve in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. He didn't retire from the 
Navy until almost 30 years after the attack of Pearl Harbor, on the 
exact same week his son entered West Point.
  Even now, at age 96, Hal says he would still be in the Navy if they 
would let him. I am touched by that because the truth is Hal's country 
still needs him, maybe not on the deck of a ship, maybe not risking his 
life in the middle of the Pacific, but we need him all the same. It is 
through hearing stories such as his that our generation will find the 
courage to face its challenges--a courage that is uniquely American.
  Pearl Harbor was not just a day of infamy; it was also a day that 
revealed the greatness of our ancestors. People such as Major Braddock, 
Chief Petty Officer Myrick, and Commander Sullivan--it is their blood 
that flows in the veins of this county that serves as our heritage and 
reveals our destiny.
  I believe it is true, as Shakespeare famously wrote, that some are 
born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 
them. But for the ``greatest generation,'' it was all three.
  Pearl Harbor was the day that greatness was thrust upon them, but it 
was over the years that followed that their greatness was achieved the 
only way greatness can be achieved--through blood, toil, tears, and 
sweat.
  And their toil did not stop after the war was won. The world still 
looked to America--to our industrial power, our political leadership, 
and our military might--to restore global balance and maintain order 
while the wounds of mankind healed.
  As Pope Pius XII said following the war:

       America has a genius for great and unselfish deeds. Into 
     the hands of America God has placed the destiny of an 
     afflicted mankind.

  Well, I believe America still has that genius. I believe mankind 
remains afflicted and that its destiny remains largely in our hands. 
All around the world, those who yearn for freedom still turn their eyes 
towards our shores. They wonder if we see their suffering. They wonder 
if we hear their cries.
  I am confident that our own generation will achieve greatness in this 
century. We will do so by remaining the world's beacon for freedom. 
That means preserving and extending the promise of the American dream 
here at home, and it means standing against evil and oppression where 
it rears its head around the world.
  As did the ``greatest generation,'' our men and women in uniform 
today fight for a greater cause than themselves. Major Braddock said 
that if he could tell today's troops one thing, it would be: Don't give 
up, do what is right and, above all else, be proud of the work you are 
tasked with carrying out.
  I second that sentiment because our children and grandchildren will 
stand on the shoulders of our generation. They will live in the world 
we leave behind, the same way we live in the world that was left for 
us.
  So as we marked the 73rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, I 
was grateful for all the tributes that took place throughout Florida 
over the

[[Page S6381]]

weekend. It is my prayer that America will take a moment to reflect on 
the meaning of that day.
  Its meaning is not a relic of the past. It doesn't just belong to the 
``greatest generation.'' It belongs to all of us. It was America's 
solemn call to action--not for a generation but for all time--a 
powerful reminder of our duty to our Nation, to each other, to our 
children, and to an afflicted mankind.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, are we in morning business now?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate is in morning business.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I could not be a stronger supporter of 
efforts to prevent human trafficking. But we must offer comprehensive 
solutions that provide meaningful and reliable resources to support 
these survivors.
  Just this Congress, I have led the reauthorization of the Trafficking 
Victims Protection Act--widely recognized as this country's most 
important tool in combatting human trafficking. The law reasserted the 
United States as a global leader in fighting trafficking by 
strengthening tools available to prosecutors and providing services for 
victims, including those victims here at home.
  The Leahy-Crapo Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act also 
passed this Congress. That bill expanded the availability of grants to 
support victims of human trafficking, as well as sexual assault and 
domestic violence.
  And now I am working to enact the Runaway and Homeless Youth and 
Trafficking Prevention Act; S. 2646. This bill authorizes the critical 
resources needed to provide shelter and services for the 1.6 million 
youth in this country who are homeless. Many of these young people are, 
or are at risk of becoming, victims of human trafficking.
  It is time we put our money where our mouth is. We must reauthorize 
these existing programs that work. These children, whether in Vermont, 
Minnesota, or Texas, need a place to stay and be safe. And I will not 
leave these priorities behind for political reasons.

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