Gov. Hutchinson reflects on 'day of resilience' at Pearl Harbor ceremony

Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks Wednesday at the Arkansas Maritime Museum at an event marking the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks Wednesday at the Arkansas Maritime Museum at an event marking the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack.

Military veterans and dignitaries came wearing coats and blankets during a chilly outdoor ceremony Wednesday morning in North Little Rock reflecting on the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who was among the speakers Wednesday at the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum, said: "This is a day of resilience, and it is a day of resolve."

"What started out as a normal day ended in an extraordinary, historical and tragic day," Hutchinson told hundreds of attendees at the ceremony just north of the Arkansas River.

Several veterans came donned in black caps, some with gold lettering signifying their service during World War II.

Among the veterans were two Pearl Harbor survivors — William M. "Bill" Chase and Walter Smith — who sat next to Hutchinson, First Lady Susan Hutchinson and other state dignitaries present.

[INTERACTIVE: Children who lived through Pearl Harbor share their stories.]

Wednesday marks 75 years since the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, in which more than 2,300 servicemen and civilians were killed and more than 1,000 injured. War was declared on Japan the next day.

In his remarks, Arkansas' governor also reflected on America's tone at the time of the attack.

"That day of normalcy was also preceded by a day in which the United States was not [hankering] for a fight. We were not desiring a battle," Hutchinson said.

Other speakers included Secretary of State Mark Martin and North Little Rock Mayor Joe Smith.

The USS Hoga, brought to the North Little Rock museum in 2015, is the last floating Navy vessel that was present in Pearl Harbor during the attack.

That tugboat aided in the rescue of sailors and spent 72 hours fighting fires on vessels, dignitaries said at the ceremony.

Free tours of the USS Razorback submarine on the Arkansas River were made available Wednesday morning.

Additional events are planned throughout the remainder of the week, including exhibits on display at the Clinton Presidential Library, William F. Laman Public Library and Arkansas Arts Center.

Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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