Daniel Akaka: “As the sun rises over Pearl Harbor this morning, solemn ceremonies at the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial and the National…”

“As the sun rises over Pearl Harbor this morning, solemn ceremonies at the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial and the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Prayers, reflections and tribute will be offered to honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women who fought and died in the defense of our country. For many of us in Hawaii, the events of December 7 are a graphic memory, a personal experience never to be forgotten. As a student, I watched in the attack on Pearl Harbor at 8 a.m., Sunday, December 7, 1941, from the roof of my dormitory at the Kamehameha School for Boys on Kapalama Heights in Honolulu. We had just returned from breakfast at the dining hall, and were slowly preparing for Sunday services. In stunned silence, we saw the flash of bombs and thick black smoke rising above Pearl Harbor. We saw the planes dive from the south, drop their torpedoes, and the resulting explosion on the battleship Arizona, which later tilted and sank at her mooring.”