McHenry Times

As the nation remembers the attacks on Pearl Harbor 80 years ago, Illinois state Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) stressed the importance of hearing stories from those who witnessed and survived the tragedy. 

The attack on Pearl Harbor killed Dozens of Illinoisans including Lt. John Dains of Mount Olive, William Arbuckle of Marshall, and 57 other residents of the Prairie State, including two brothers from the Conlin family from Decatur perished on the USS Arizona, according to My Journal Courier.

"It's estimated that there are fewer than 100 survivors alive today from the attack on Pearl Harbor. One of those is Illinois' own Sterling Cale," Ugaste wrote in a Dec. 7 Facebook post. "Today is the 80th anniversary of the bombing, making his life and legacy that much more important, because in his words, 'When we're gone there will be no one to tell the story.'"

Japanese fighter plans attacked the U.S. Naval Base near Honolulu, Hawaii on the morning of December 7, 1941. More than 2,400 Americans were killed in the attack and another thousand including civilians were hurt.  More than 300 airplanes and 20 American navy vessels were destroyed or damaged.

Then-president Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan the day after the deadly attacks in Hawaii. 

In his national address to the country on Dec. 8, 1941, Roosevelt assured Americans he had ordered all measures to defend the nation be taken and that we should always remember what happened, but "no matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory." Time reported that Roosevelt went on to tell the nation that the country would defend itself to the best of its ability, but also make sure that an attack like this would never happen again.