The rain kept the normal crowd away but did not dampen the respect for those whose lives were changed or the memory of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941.
A handful of veterans gathered at the Fannin County Veterans Memorial Park last Wednesday, December 7, to remember “A date which will live in infamy.”
President Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke those words when he asked the United States Congress for a declaration of war after the Japanese attack.
And it was upon those words that Bill Stodghill, commander of the North Georgia Honor Guard, addressed the veterans gathered on Pearl Harbor Day.
Stodghill said the day was meant, “To remember and reflect on the lives that were given December 7, 1941.”
Stodghill said the attack, “Changed the course of history and united our country,” producing what became known as the greatest generation of Americans.
While few of that generation are left, he said they should be remembered to “re-ignite our national pride and our national spirit.”
The greatest generation taught us to be “ever vigilant to protect our way of life,” Stodghill said.
He went on to say how September 11, 2001, reminded us that, “We must never let our guard down.”
“Let’s not forget all those men and women who helped purchase our freedom on December 7, 1941,” Stodghill said. “And let us remember there is nobility in military service.”