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American Legion honors victims of Pearl Harbor

Veterans gather to pay respect to brothers and sisters in uniform who paid the ultimate price 80 years ago - 13 On Your Side's Arlette Yousif reports

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Eighty years after blood-shed on American soil, veterans and civilians alike mourn the senseless loss of life on this Pearl Harbor Day.

Sadly, 2,403 lives were lost on December 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor, an American tragedy that no one will forget.

The attack on Pearl Harbor happened in the middle of World War II. Sailors, soldiers, and civilians were caught off guard that dreadful morning.
A local former U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Herschel "Pat" Patterson says WWII veterans paved the way for others to serve our country as he later followed in his brother’s footsteps in 1956.

“I had a brother in WWII. He served in Hawaii. It’s a great feeling to honor those that have gone before,” says U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Herschel "Pat" Patterson.

Those who didn’t see the attack coming.

“Well, and 7, December came along and it would become known by President Roosevelt's declaration as the ‘Day of Infamy,’” explains Retired Army Sergeant First Class William Heidner.

The “Day of Infamy” may have had a higher death toll…

“The commander of the aircraft carrier group wasn’t satisfied with something they had done during the training exercise and told them they weren’t going into Pearl [Harbor]. They were going to stay and do some more training. That decision probably saved all— every aircraft carrier we had,” says Heidner.

Retired Marine Elanor Sayles runs Yuma Young Marines and teaches them about the history of our country, including what happened at Pearl Harbor.

"I need to pass it on to our younger generations… to the youth out there. They need to understand where military has gone, where our nation has gone, and where we need to look forward to," explains U.S. Marine Corps Retired Staff Sargeant Elanor Sayles.

Sayles took a group of Yuma Young Marines to Pearl Harbor in 2019 and shared an eye-opening experience with them while paying respect to everyone impacted by the attack.

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Arlette Yousif

Arlette Yousif joined KYMA in November 2020 as a Multi Media Journalist. She holds a BA in Journalism with a minor in Film.

You can reach out to Arlette for at arlette.yousif@kecytv.com.

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