"Their tenacity helped define the Greatest Generation and their valor fortified all who served during World War II. As a nation, we look to December 7, 1941, to draw strength from the example set by these patriots and to honor all who have sacrificed for our freedoms."
These are the words of President Barack Obama, commemorating and honoring the heroes of that fateful day that saw the beginning of a conflict against the most ardent and determined enemy America has ever faced: the empire of Japan.
Today, we look back in reverence at the sacrifice that, once made in moments of unnatural bravery, has endured for the generations that followed, granting Americans life's most precious gift- freedom. We bear witness to these final years where the remaining survivors of the greatest conflict the world has ever known can be personally thanked for their sacrifice. My grandfather, William Jackson Sullivan, a hero of the European theatre in WWII and a man after whom I am named, left this world peacefully this year, serving as a reminder of the great honor we have had in knowing such valiant men who risked all to ensure that others could be free. Such men deserve our undying reverence.
And on this day, in speaking to a group of surviving veterans of the attack on Dec. 7th, 1941, Barack Obama's words (though I don't often agree with him) are entirely appropriate.
William Jackson Sullivan II
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