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The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941 stunned virtually everyone in the United States military. In an address to Congress to request for a declaration of war against Japan, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared "December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy." For the last 14 years, Donald Bachman has organized a ceremony to commemorate that infamous day. On Sunday, December 6, 2009, Strasburg residents marked the 68th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor at the town square. Mr. Bachman, who also is a Strasburg Borough Councilperson, served as Master of Ceremonies. A tree containing 2,403 white lights, one light for every person who died at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was lit and will remain lit until the second week of January. The tree also contains more than 4,000 red and blue lights for those who died in our country's current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. A flag honoring Corporal Roy "Sock" Mowrer, Strasburg Township, was retired as well. Corporal Mowrer served in the South Pacific during World War II with the 1879th Aviation Engineers Company. A flag honoring the late Lancaster Corporal John W. Spearing, a US Marine from Strasburg Township, was raised. Corporal Spearing was one of 220 American serviceman who died in a bombing in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983. Corporal Spearing's flag will fly over the square in Strasburg until Memorial Day, 2010. Senator Lloyd Smucker was among the speakers who recognized the day and the sacrifice given by so many of our brave defenders of freedom.
Senator Smucker's statement of remembrance for Pearl Harbor Day: Senator Lloyd Smucker We are just past Thanksgiving, a generous celebration for families and communities when we express gratitude for the bounty and blessings our nation enjoys. We are coming up on Christmas, a season of deep religious meaning for many, and an occasion for extending good cheer and indulging in gift-giving by many more. In between, we have Pearl Harbor Day, a solemn anniversary when we reflect on the meaning of service to country, devotion to duty, and the supreme sacrifice made by so many. America will never forget Pearl Harbor. The stunning surprise-after-sunrise attack. The more than 2400 lives lost. The ships damaged and destroyed. The shock, anger, and fear felt across the nation. The all-out commitment to world war that resulted. Looking at the photos of smoke billowing from sinking ships, knowing that sailors were trapped inside, will forever evoke an emotional response. That we remember, the way in which we remember, in how we honor the lives lost, in how we salute the courage of those who survived, matters very much. Each year, there are fewer with us who can bear witness to the tragedy of December 7, 1941, the Day of Infamy. Each year, then, our obligation grows greater, to keep their names, their stories, and their sacrifices, alive. Just as we must never stop remembering them, so must we never stop learning the lessons of Pearl Harbor. One of the best accounts of Pearl Harbor is titled "At Dawn We Slept." Our awakening was brutal, costly, and humiliating. Never again would isolation be a realistic option. Never again would the oceans be viewed as a nautical security barrier. Never again would our size alone be seen as sufficient deterrent. Those who died that day gave America cause and purpose. Those who survived became part of the Greatest Generation who defended democracy and strengthened the greatest nation. In the years since Pearl Harbor, there have been times when our national defense strategy has been flawed, when our level of preparedness has not been what it should, when our manner of involvement in a foreign conflict has been questioned. What has remained consistent through the years is the courage and devotion to duty of those who have served. It is with sadness that we recall the losses of that December day. It is with sadness that we say a final goodbye to the veterans who passed on in the last year. Our thoughts are filled with memories; our hearts are full of prayers. The tree of lights is a stirring reminder. When our best and bravest die in battle, those are dark moments. But the spirit of what they stood for, what they believed in, what they fought for, shines through. Their example lights the path of freedom they protected. Just as the terrorists attacks of 9/11 changed America and the world, so did the surprise Japanese attack of December 7th change America’s destiny and that of the world. The war against terror is very different from the war against Japanese imperialism. The enemy is not so clearly defined. But the principles for which we fight – freedom and democracy – never change. And the symbol of our nation – the flag – is still the standard that represents and conveys all that is good and right about the American way of life. When flags fly at half mast on Pearl Harbor Day, it is a reminder that freedom is not free. America paid a high price 68 years ago. We continue paying a price today, in Afghanistan, in Iraq, wherever our sons and daughters are serving. The flag-changing ceremony reminds that, whether it is global conflict or a peacekeeping mission, there are risks and sacrifices incurred. Some distant day, all those at Pearl Harbor will have gone to their eternal rest. But their memory and their legacy will endure, as long as the flag proudly flies and freedom prevails. Today, we remember. We pray. We are grateful. And we
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