Post 187 Commander Chris Gress laid a wreath upon the waters of the Kanawha in remembrance of those who were killed in the attack 84 years ago.

On Sunday, December 7, members of American Legion Post 187 gathered at the Winfield boat ramp on the Kanawha River to hold a remembrance ceremony of the 1941 attack upon the U.S. Navy fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The 2:00 p.m. ceremony start time coincided with the second hour of the attack. The first wave of the Japanese aerial assault began at 7:49 a.m.

Following Recognition of the Colors and Invocation by Post 187 Chaplain Kenny Bright, post historian Delbert Brannon reviewed the tragic losses of that 84 year-old-day and the events leading up to and following the attack. Brannon quoted George Santayana, who said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Of the 2,400 Americans killed in the attack, 106 were crewmen from West Virginia. Brannon recounted the sinking of the battleship USS West Virginia and the heroism which averted a far greater loss of life. The USS West Virginia was raised from the watery depth, repaired, and returned to service in 1944. The USS West Virginia was the only ship which had suffered damage in the attack to be present in Tokyo Bay on September 7, 1945, when Japan surrendered. The USS West Virginia was decommissioned in 1947 and sold for scrap.

After the review of the events of December 7, 1941, Post 187 Commander Chris Gress laid a wreath upon the waters of the Kanawha in remembrance of those who perished in the attack.