Ted Poe: “The sun was lazily rising on the horizon. It was around breakfast time on a stunning Sunday morning. It was quiet…”

“The sun was lazily rising on the horizon. It was around breakfast time on a stunning Sunday morning. It was quiet, peaceful, calm. People felt secure. There was a small tropical breeze as the American flag was being raised on a nearby flagpole. It was this day that Luke Trahin, a 22-year-old sailor from southeast Texas, noticed large formations of aircraft darkening the glistening sky. He kept watching in awe until suddenly the aircraft broke formation, dove from the sky, and unleashed a fury of deadly, devastating bombs and torpedoes on a place called Pearl Harbor in the Pacific. It was this day, 70 years ago this morning, when Luke Trahin and his fellow sailors, soldiers, and marines saw war unleashed upon America. It was December 7, 1941. The Japanese had caught America by surprise and took advantage of an unprepared nation. And after the smoke cleared on that morning of madness, 98 Navy planes and 64 Army aircraft were destroyed. Luke's unit, Patrol Wing One, lost all but three of its 36 aircraft. 2,471 Americans, servicemen, and civilians, were killed by this unwarranted invasion of terror from the skies. The pride of the United States Navy, the battleships--West Virginia, California, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Maryland, Nevada, and Arizona-- were trapped in the harbor. They made easy targets for the Japanese pilots.…”