[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 11 (Thursday, January 22, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E99]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING MAINE'S OLDEST LIVING PEARL HARBOR VETERAN

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                          HON. CHELLIE PINGREE

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 22, 2015

  Ms. PINGREE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a constituent 
with a story that should be heard. At 95 years old, James Watson of 
South Portland, Maine, is our state's oldest living veteran who was 
present during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
  The morning of December 7, 1941, began like many others for Mr. 
Watson. At the time, he was a gunner's mate first class aboard the 
U.S.S. Phoenix, which was anchored across the harbor from Battleship 
Row. He was reading the Sunday paper below deck when he felt a 
vibration rock the ship, then heard a call over the loudspeaker to 
report to battle stations.
  Once topside, he saw anti-aircraft explosions in the air and smelled 
thick clouds of burning fuel. He knew instantly that the country was at 
war. What followed after was a blur. ``You're too busy to be scared. 
You're just mad. You're angry,'' Mr. Watson recently recounted to a 
local newspaper.
  President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called December 7, 1941, ``a date 
which will live in infamy.'' And, indeed, from books, films, and 
photos, we can still get a sense of that day's incredible devastation 
and terrible loss of the life. But as the days go by, there are fewer 
and fewer living veterans who saw it through their own eyes and can 
recall what it was like to go through such an experience. Their stories 
are critical to ensuring that we never forget what happened there.
  I appreciate that Mr. Watson has shared his memories so we can better 
understand and remember one of the most pivotal moments in our nation's 
history. And I thank him for his brave service that day, and the rest 
that followed.

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