MOLINE, Ill. — Dec. 7, 2022 marks the 81st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Local veterans came together in Moline on Wednesday, paying respects at a wreath ceremony on the Rock River.
The dense afternoon fog created a somber setting for the day of remembrance, which included a gun salute and the playing of Taps.
Jack Smith from the local VFW Post 2153 in Moline was in charge of throwing the wreath into the river.
"Whether it's received by a lot of people or not is not important to me," he said. "The fact that I'm able to do it is rewarding enough."
Smith was only two years old when the attack on Pearl Harbor happened.
"I worked with a lot of the original Pearl Harbor survivors in this area," he said. "They've all since past, but one thing they always tried to do was to keep the ideas, the thoughts in front of the American public."
He said that work is hard today, especially with younger generations.
"We've been to schools and done presentations, with actual survivors that were part of the original group - but you get questions like 'Pearl Harbor, where was it? What kind of pearl?'" Smith said. "That's something that I think our whole school system should put a better focus on, for future generations to not forget the past - otherwise we're going to turn around and make the same mistakes over and over again."
He added that times have changed since he served in Vietnam, and he's confident that younger veterans will uphold the legacy.
"I think veterans today are being received a lot better, and assuming positions of authority and responsibility in the various Posts," Smith said.
2,390 American service members and civilians were killed at the attack on Pearl Harbor, according to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.
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