Good morning and Aloha!  I am honored to join you today for this incredibly important day of remembrance.  Thank you for inviting me to participate and recognize these heroes.  Thank you to all our distinguished visitors, friends, and families for joining us.  Thank you to Pacific Historic Parks and the National Park Service for hosting this ceremony. 

Most importantly, thank you to our Pearl Harbor survivors and World War II veterans, for traveling here year after year, and connecting us firsthand to the heroic feats accomplished that day.  We gather here to remember the date which lives in infamy.  Eighty-three years ago on a beautiful moring just like this one – Pearl Harbor was assaulted and the world changed.  Today, we have veterans among us who witnessed it with their own eyes.  Whose memories are seared with the chaos, violence, and devastation of that day. 

The rest of us must imagine it.  The peace of a brilliant Sunday morning sky, turned dark with enemy fighters.  Gentle trade winds pierced with gunfire, explosions, and sirens.  Towering battleships and massive buildings erupting in flames.  The waters of Pearl Harbor thick with blood and fuel.  The air heavy with toxic fumes.  The courageous defenders rushing to respond in any way they could.  The violence was local – it was all around us – and the fight was on. 

The survivors here today lived all of that.  They will never forget it – and neither must we.  The attack on Pearl Harbor was not the end of the story – it was just the beginning.  Our World War II veterans fought back with courage, with determination, and they fought with what they had. They started quickly by beating the enemy at Midway a mere six months later.  From there, they fought their way across the Pacific to Guadalcanal, to the Philippine Sea and to Leyte Gulf.  They finished their campaign at Okinawa -- the largest sea-air-land battle in history.

Their victory in World War II was not preordained.  Nor did it happen by accident.  It happened because our Greatest Generation responded to the attack on Pearl Harbor with tenacity.  They took the fight to the enemy, executed with their full commitment, and won.  With their actions they set the standard for excellence to which we strive to emulate today.  That Greatest Generation is with us now.  We are honored to be with Pearl Harbor survivors Ira “Ike” Schab, who served on USS DOBBIN, and Kenneth Stevens, who served on USS WHITNEY.

We welcome World War II veterans Wilbert Toda, Al Chatwin, John Gleeson, Don Graves, Arthur Shak, and Johnny Shelton.  Rosies who supported the war effort have joined us as well:  Jeanne Gibson, Delphine Kaput, Erlinda Gallegos Avila, and Clarice Lafreniere.  We are humbled by your presence and eternally grateful for your service and sacrifice.  Your accomplishments, and your victory, continue to inspire us and give us purpose every day.
 
Fewer of these heroes join us every year, so we are grateful to you.  Earlier this year, we mourned the loss of Lou Conter, the last USS ARIZONA survivor.  He attended this ceremony in person year after year -- for decades.  Lou’s life mantra was “Don’t Panic.”  When the ARIZONA sank, he came back on a boat to rescue his shipmates.  Later in the war, when his plane was shot down over the Pacific, he told his aircrew:  “Get ready to swim – and if a shark comes up to you, punch it in the nose.”  He set an example of strong and steady action for all of us.

We also lost this year Sterling Cale, the last Pearl Harbor survivor living in Hawaii, who was a beloved and longtime volunteer at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.  Sterling served in World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam, then worked for U.S. Agency for International Development.  He served his country for fifty-seven years.  They, and many others, are now gone – but they are not forgotten – nor will they ever be. 
 
 Lou, Sterling, and their shipmates can rest easy knowing their legacy endures on Earth.  And we will move Heaven and Earth -- just as they did -- to defend our country and our way of life.  Today, we stand on their shoulders, and on the shoulders of the other heroes in front of us. 


 
From Pearl Harbor, we learned much.  We learned to be forever vigilant.  To maintain a combat rehearsal mindset at all times.  And we train our Sailors to those standards today.
 
In fact, right now our Pacific Fleet is in the most operations-intensive period we have experienced in years.  In 2024, the ABRAHAM LINCOLN, RONALD REAGAN, and THEODORE ROOSEVELT Carrier Strike Groups all operated in our waters to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.  We deployed two amphibious ready groups, AMERICA and BOXER, together in the Western Pacific in a show of strength with our allies and partners.  GEORGE WASHINGTON forward deployed to Japan for overseas duty, and is ready for action. 

As I speak to you today, the VINSON Strike Group is transiting to the Western Pacific.  And the NIMITZ Strike Group is preparing to deploy as well. 
 
Our Carrier Strike Groups, surface ships, submarines, air wings, and numerous other deployed units continue to excel, every day, far and wide, in all domains.  And our Sailors continue to serve to uphold international law and defend our way of life – ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific, from the Indian Ocean, to the Bering Sea.
 
From the vastness of Oceania, to the contested waters of the South China Sea.  The men and women of the U.S. Pacific Fleet continue to do our nation’s work – every day – projecting capable and credible combat power. 
 
Fortunately, our Sailors have tremendous support at home.  Like our forebears, we have families, loved ones, and whole communities who stand beside us.  And we beside them.  Many of you are in the audience today.
 
We must always remember to take care of our families and our neighbors because they take care of us.  We cannot do what we do without you -- No Sailor succeeds alone, and when our families and loved ones support us and what we do, they too serve and sacrifice for our nation. 
 
We serve in consequential times, and face consequential challenges.  Today, as in the past, our competitors seek to challenge global order.  But we will meet those challenges -- and we will prevail.
 
We perform with peerless professionalism to build and demonstrate combat readiness every day.  And we maintain the tenacity and the integrity for the fight.  Anyone who thinks we don’t, makes a drastic miscalculation.  To the Greatest Generation, I promise you this:  We will never forget the example you set.  And the excellence you demonstrated.  We will use your example to better ourselves every day.  And we will never forget what you did.  We will be ready to win any fight, any time.
 
And should that fight come, like our Greatest Generation, we will not wait for history to write our actions -- we will act to write our history. 
 
With that, I would like to once more thank our Pearl Harbor survivors, Rosies, and World War II veterans.  Thank you as well to our distinguished guests, families, and friends for joining us, and for inviting me here today.  Thank you and Mahalo.

 (Watch the main ceremony: DVIDS - Video - 83rd Pearl Harbor Anniversary - Main Ceremony)