President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and honor the lives lost on that day — Dec. 7, 1941, which then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called “a date which will live in infamy.”
Eighty years ago, 353 Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service planes launched a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, killing 2,403 military personnel and civilians. Hours after the attack, the Empire of Japan declared war on the United States and the British Empire, and the U.S. formally entered World War II
On Tuesday, President Biden saluted a wreath at the memorial, which contained one wild sunflower, the state flower of Kansas, to honor the late Senator Bob Dole. Dole, a World War II veteran who was gravely injured in Italy in 1945, died on Sunday at the age of 98.
Dr. Biden laid a bouquet of flowers at the New Jersey pillar at the memorial to honor her father, Donald Jacobs, who served in World War II as a Navy Signalman.
Before departing the memorial, they walked to the Pacific Tower and paused for a moment of reflection.
Last week, President Biden issued a proclamation in honor of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, saying that Dec. 7, 1941 “was a day that still lives in infamy 80 years later.”
“As we mark National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we honor the patriots who perished, commemorate the valor of all those who defended our Nation, and recommit ourselves to carrying forth the ensuing peace and reconciliation that brought a better future for our world,” Biden wrote. “Today, we give thanks to the Greatest Generation, who guided our Nation through some of our darkest moments and laid the foundations of an international system that has transformed former adversaries into allies.”
Biden recalled paying his respects at the USS Arizona memorial — a ship lost during the attack that still lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, along with 1,177 crewmen and officers.
“To this day, beads of oil still rise to the surface of the water — metaphorical ‘Black Tears’ shed for those lost in the attack,” Biden wrote. “Reading those names etched in marble was a mournful reminder of the sacrifices and the human cost of protecting our Nation and the ideals this great country represents.”
“Our Nation remains forever indebted to all those who gave their last full measure of devotion eight decades ago,” Biden added. “We will never forget those who perished, and we will always honor our sacred obligation to care for our service members, veterans, and their families, caregivers, and survivors.”