Hoyer Statement on the 75th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor

WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today, on the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor:

“’December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy.’  When President Roosevelt spoke those stirring words, he knew that generations hence would remember the attack on Pearl Harbor not only for the heroism and loss of life on that terrible day but also for the courage and perseverance that would characterize our nation in the days, months, and years ahead.  From the sailors running to the anti-aircraft turrets on the decks of the burning battleships that morning to the Marines who would land under fire on islands far from home, from the pilots who carried men and arms across mountains and jungles and seas to the nurses who volunteered to serve in danger at war, the entry of the United States into World War II would mark the beginning of an era of courage, an age of sacrifice and service. 

“It is not enough for us to remember the valor with which that war was fought and won – though we must and will remember it.  It is not enough to pay tribute to those who defended our liberty by memorializing them in bronze, in stone, or in lofty words – though we will continue to grant them such honors.  Our duty now lies in ensuring that what they fought for will not be lost, that the ideals and aims for which so many brave Americans gave their lives will not be abandoned in our day.  President Roosevelt made clear even before our country was attacked that the post-war order to which the United States would be committed would have as its foundations the freedom of worship, freedom of speech, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.  Not only for those to be liberated from fascism but for all people on Earth.  In our day, this means recommitting ourselves and our country to the ideals that have always made America the world’s greatest democracy, even as the forces of uncertainty and insecurity tempt us away. 

“Pearl Harbor Day is a moment to remember that those who served in World War II sacrificed for a vision of America and the world that remains a work in progress.  What they began in the twentieth century, we must continue in our own.  As a former Chairman of the Helsinki Commission at the end of the Cold War, I have watched as more of the world has opened to the freedoms and opportunities that Roosevelt described and for which our Greatest Generation fought so hard.  But we must remember that the triumph of democracy is not inevitable; the victory of the brave and free was never pre-ordained.  It took courage, determination, toil, and great sacrifice by so many to secure the outcome that, on ‘a date which will live in infamy,’ was not yet assured.  Let us continue to mark this day in the spirit of remembrance and as a reminder of the great work we must continue to make our own.”