NEWPORT, Ky. — Dec. 7, 1941 is a huge day in history — the attack on Pearl Harbor.

What You Need To Know

  • The attack on Pearl Harbor happened Dec. 7 1941

  •  It led the United States to declare war on Japan and signaled their entry into World War II

  •  VFW Posts gather in Northern Kentucky each year on the first Sunday of December to remember it

  • The Lawler Hanlon VFW Post 5662 in Newport held the ceremony at General James Taylor Park Sunday, Dec. 4 

“As Franklin D. Roosevelt stated, a date that will live in infamy. Remember that was the start of World War II,” Master of Ceremonies and VFW Past State Commander John Ranson said in his remarks during the Pearl Harbor Ceremony in Newport on Sunday.

Ranson and other VFW members gather on the first Sunday each December to reflect on the historic day and the lives lost as a result of the surprise Japanese military strike on the naval base in Hawaii. Kentucky VFW District 9 Commander and Chief of Staff James Toebbe is a Navy veteran. It’s something he’s learned about in school and through his time in the Navy. He was there in Newport on Sunday as the Lawler Hanlon VFW Post 5662 hosted the ceremony. Prayer, song, speech and other gestures made up the ceremony.

 “Wreath laying where they place a wreath in the Ohio river in honor of the dead sailors, airmen and marines, and after that we did a 21-gun salute,” he said.

VFW Past State Commander Randall McComas said it’s important to acknowledge what happened on Dec. 7, 1941.

“We need to understand the sacrifices that the people who serve in the military have given to this country, especially those who made the supreme sacrifice and their families lost everything from it,” McComas said.

He said it’s a moment in time that can not be forgotten.

“You never want to forget things like that. That’s what really defined us as a nation,” he said.

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