Wis. Pearl Harbor veterans honored

KING - It's a date that will live in infamy, the words of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on December 8th, 1941.

71 years ago, December 7th, nearly 2,400 American service members and 49 civilians were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

More than a thousand others were wounded. The attack thrust the United States into World War II.

Friday, survivors and those who died were honored in Waupaca County at the Wisconsin Veterans Home where a few of those survivors now live.

Appleton resident and Pearl Harbor survivor Clyde Stephenson says the passage of time does not erase the memories.

"Of course you can't forget the day, but I'm 92 years old now and I'm lucky I'm still around," Stephenson said.

Stephenson served in the Marine Corps on the USS California.

But he, and around 40 of his comrades from the surrounding battleships, were at the rifle range that fateful morning.

"I was out there when the Japanese hit," Stephenson said.  "We immediately got the riffles and machine guns out and we got a chance to really practice what we were teaching."

Stephenson believes he and the others shot down at least four enemy aircraft.

And when he returned to check on his crewmates, he found the USS California under water.

"The whole family knows dad's background at Pearl Harbor and it's a very special day for all of us," explained Clyde's son Bob Stephenson.

Friday's ceremony honors all those stories, and the other service members that paid the ultimate sacrifice at Pearl Harbor.

Governor Scott Walker declared it, Pearl Harbor Day.

"I sometimes I think we take it for granted, that for the men and women of that era to have an attack like that on American soil was a shock to everyone," Gov. Walker said.

As the each anniversary passes, the less we see of the so called "greatest generation."     

And that's why Clyde's son Bob says it's so important the story is passed down from generation to generation.

"You know as they always say, lets not forget and I think that's a big part of it, as the last guys are still here and probably in another 10 years they won't be, that's what I hope they take away is...always remember this," Bob said.