Veterans hold wreath-laying ceremony on Sacramento River for Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
SACRAMENTO – Local servicemembers were out at Discovery Park in Sacramento on Thursday to commemorate the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
For the past 35 years, the Submarine Veterans of WWII, Sacramento Base have been holding a wreath-laying ceremony on Dec. 7 to remember the day that will live in infamy.
"That's the main goal, to not forget the heroism and the bravery of the Americans on that day," said Barry Wyatt, a representative from the veteran group.
The program featured a speaker narrating the history of the 1941 attack that killed 2,403 service members and civilians.
A wreath was then placed on the water of the Sacramento River just before 10 a.m. – around the same time, in Hawaii Standard Time, that the attack began.
The memorial then concluded with a 21-gun salute and the playing of Taps.
This year marks the 82nd Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Survivors of the attack continue to dwindle, with the handful remaining being near or over 100 years old. Grass Valley resident Lou Conter is the only remaining survivor of the USS Arizona.