‘Today, they come alive again.’ Pearl Harbor veterans honored in Fresno

Dreary skies did not stop the 78th Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony outside the Veterans Affairs hospital in Fresno on Saturday morning.

Dozens gathered on the steps of the Pearl Harbor monument to remember the 2,403 killed and the 1,246 more who were wounded (including civilians) when Japanese forces attacked the U.S. Naval base in 1941, propelling the country into World War II.

Don Miller, who served in the Vietnam War, said he tries to come out to honor veterans whenever he can. “I have a very hard time walking, but I try to make it. It’s only right, you know. All those poor veterans who died on that ship, out of respect and memory for them.”

The number of WWII veterans in California has been waning in recent years as the Greatest Generation grows older, according to census estimates. There were about 5,000 WWII veterans living in Fresno County in 2010, and that number was more than halved by 2018.

Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, asked the public Saturday to remember the stories of survivors who have since passed away.

“For those who came home, many of them either showed or didn’t show the scars they carried with them for the rest of their lives. But we know because they were members of our family, they were our friends and our neighbors,” he said.

“For those who are no longer with us, certainly today, they come alive again.”