Tuesday marks the 80th commemoration of the attack on Pearl Harbor, initiating the United States’ full engagement in World War II. A total of 2,403 individuals died in the attack in 1941, with another 1,178 injured. Forty-one of those who perished in the attack were from Virginia, including one, Benjamin Lee Brown, from Roanoke. The attack on Pearl Harbor resulted in the United States entering World War II, which ultimately resulted in the deaths of over 400,000 Americans, with more than 7,000 hailing from Virginia.
The official theme for this year’s commemoration is “Valor, Sacrifice, and Peace.” Ceremonies will be conducted on the USS Nevada, USS Utah, and USS Oklahoma, and will be live-streamed at https://www.facebook.com/PearlHarborNPS.
The names of those from the Roanoke Valley who served and perished in World War II may be viewed at the Roanoke Valley War Memorial on Freedom Plaza downtown, across from the Noel C. Taylor Municipal Building.
May we never forget the horrors of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the sacrifices made that day and the years that followed.
-- Bob Cowell