December 7th

To many people - including my parents - December 7, 1941 is their 9/11. No matter what the motivations were, the response was, or how much of the conspiracy theories surrounding the day you can believe, we're still left with an event where attacking forces laid a heavy toll on man and machine. The emotional damage of the attack was mind-numbing and the physical damage of the attack is still visible today, 66 years later, with the USS Arizona still lying at the bottom of the harbor as a virtual tomb for over a thousand service personnel.

Today I salute those who - while defending freedom - paid the ultimate price in that defense. Their service to God and Country is honored in our home.