Press Releases

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement today in remembrance of the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor: 

“President Roosevelt correctly declared that this would be a day that would live in infamy.  Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, architect of the Japanese attack, also correctly stated ‘I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.’ Many men and women lost their lives at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and their sacrifice will forever be remembered.  Hundreds of thousands of Americans would die in World War II.  Millions would stand in harm’s way or work countless hours to supply the troops in our struggle to end the tyrannies in Europe and Asia.  I commend our World War II generation who fought valiantly to protect our nation and thank the men and women in uniform, both past and present, for their service.

“We have much to learn from the greatest generation. I was encouraged to see articles in local newspapers this week highlighting the stories of veterans from Southwest Virginia who were at Pearl Harbor and the accounts of others in the Ninth District about that day.  Preserving and sharing the oral history of this generation would be a beneficial undertaking for our youth.  And as for Yamamoto’s words, perhaps the history of the sleeping giant should also be remembered by the tyrants of today.”

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