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    National World War II Museum remembers the attack on Pearl Harbor

    National World War II Museum remembers the attack on Pearl Harbor

    Photo By Sgt. Ian Leones | Lt. Gen. Rex C. McMillian, commander of Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North,...... read more read more

    NEW ORLEANS, LA, UNITED STATES

    12.07.2016

    Story by Sgt. Ian Leones  

    Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES)

    Lt. Gen. Rex C. McMillian, commander of Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North, was the keynote speaker at a ceremony at the National World War II Museum, Dec. 7, 2016, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

    The event shared the history of the attack on Dec. 7, 1941, and honored the service members present on that fateful day.

    “I am honored to be here with so many survivors and veterans of Pearl Harbor and World War II,” Lt. Gen. McMillian said during a speech to the attendees. “As we know, the days pass too quickly and our opportunities with each other are too fleeting. We should never miss out on a chance to express our personal gratitude to you.”

    This ceremony occurred in conjunction with events around the country honoring the sacrifice of World War II veterans at the attack, including one at Pearl Harbor.

    The National World War II Museum is the country’s official World War II museum and attracts visitors from around the world. Originally founded in 2000 as the D-Day Museum, but U.S. Congress designated it as America's official World War II museum in 2003. The mission of the museum is to emphasize the American experience in World War II.

    Other speakers at the event detailed the aftermath of Pearl Harbor and the attack’s impact on the country.

    Drawing analogy between the popular 1940s song “What a Difference a Day Makes,” Robert M. Citino, the Samuel Zemurray Stone senior historian with the museum, stated the attack ended an era of American isolationism in a single day.

    “If ever a single day made a difference in American history, it was Dec. 7, 1941,” Citino said. “Pearl Harbor plunged the U.S. into war.”

    The final speaker, Ian W. Toll, author of “Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942,” also emphasized the importance of the attack on the course of American history.

    “I think you can argue quite persuasively that it was the central historical event of the 20th century, at least for American history,” Toll said. “It was the beginning of an era of American internationalism that continues to this day.”

    In addition to the commemoration ceremony, the museum held an electronic field trip for middle school students across the country, which included a live broadcast of exhibits at the museum, interviews with witnesses and survivors of Pearl Harbor, and footage from memorials in Oahu, Hawaii.

    “It’s important for students to see themselves in history,” said Chrissy Gregg, virtual classroom coordinator with the National World War II Museum. “Many of the witnesses and survivors of the attack were kids at the time. We want to show the students participating that the history they witness as young people is important, especially during momentous events like Pearl Harbor.”
    Coordinating this virtual event took nine months of work and a replay of the broadcast can be viewed at pearl75.org.

    “We encourage everyone to watch the event on our website,” Gregg said. “Learning from what has happened in the past helps to shape the future.”

    This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the Marine Corps Reserve. During World War II, by September of 1945, Reserve Marines made up 70 percent of total wartime Marine Corps personnel. Through the Centennial celebration, Marine Forces Reserve has acknowledged the sacrifice of those who served in World War II as well as the generations of Marines who have put on the uniform after them.

    “As we know, warriors never die; they live on in the hearts of all of us wearing the uniform today,” Lt. Gen. McMillian said in his speech. “Their bravery and courage has not been forgotten and they remain an inspiration to our current and future generation of war fighters. There is no greater or prouder force to protect this nation.”

    For information on the history and heritage of the Marine Corps Reserve as well as current Marine stories and upcoming Centennial events, please visit www.marines.mil/usmcr100.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 12.07.2016
    Date Posted: 12.07.2016 20:36
    Story ID: 216782
    Location: NEW ORLEANS, LA, US

    Web Views: 265
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN