(Owego, NY) – This year marks the 81st anniversary of the military assault that took place on December
7, 1941 at the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This assault claimed the lives of over 2,400
soldiers and citizens, caused injury to over a thousand additional people, and destruction of twenty
American naval vessels, including eight battleships of the U. S. Pacific Fleet and over 300 airplanes.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously proclaimed December 7, 1941, as a “date which will live
in infamy,” and it has stood as a solemn day of tribute ever since.
One day later, on December 8, 1941, President Roosevelt requested of Congress the power and
authority to declare war on Japan, and that day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States of
America was officially thrust into World War II.
Reflecting on the loss of human life and the ruination of the Pearl Harbor Base that day serves as a stark
reminder of the exceptional service and selfless sacrifice of our armed servicemen and women, who
risked their lives and personal safety to shield our nation from harm and preserve our nation’s founding
values and liberties.
Today we pause in commemoration of those who fought and died on December 7, 1941, especially
remembering Seaman Delmar Dale Sibley of Owego who is still aboard the USS Arizona, and we honor
their bravery and final sacrifice. Four from Tioga County survived including Army Air Corps Private First Class
Army Mechanic Bill Kennedy of Owego who passed away at age 96 on February 26, 2018 along with
deceased survivors, U.S. Marine Machine Gun Crewman Lester Dunham of Owego, Army Sergeant
Donald Stocks of Owego, and Army Sergeant Richard Hopkins of Berkshire, later recipient of the Bronze
Star for meritorious service on the front lines of Guadalcanal.
We are profoundly grateful for members of our nation’s military and their families, who freely risk all for
the good of others. The Tioga County Legislature proclaims December 7, 2022 as PEARL HARBOR
REMEMBRANCE DAY and throughout Tioga
