“The blow to America 67 years ago rocked its soul,” Aubuchon said. “The fallout from that day was a long and savage war on foreign soil.”

He said that though the weapons and the enemies have changed, today’s men and women in the military carry on the tradition of the World War II troops and stand ready to protect the country.

“Pearl Harbor now provides an opportunity for reflection,” Aubuchon said. “We wonder what lessons we learned, and stand in awe of that greatest generation.”

Bagpiper Joel Wren played several songs for the event. Ruth Dorsey and Betty Ikenberry, with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary, oversaw a candle-lighting ceremony recognizing the 28 Kansas troops who died overseas and whose remains have not been returned.

USS Arizona

A new visitors center at the USS Arizona Memorial is scheduled to open Dec. 7, 2010. Of the 2,400 killed during the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, 1,177 died on the Arizona.

Source: The Associated Press