Tuesday marked the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Veterans and others gathered Tuesday afternoon at a Centre County historical site that has a direct tie to the fateful day.
Dec 7, 1941, the battleship USS Pennsylvania was in dry dock at Pearl Harbor, due to repair work, but its personnel among the first to respond to the attack.
“Before noon, the crew had returned more than 65,000 rounds of ammunition back at the enemy,” explained Tyler Gum, the director of the Pennsylvania Military Museum. “It’s peaceful now, but these guns were utilized quite heavily for the rest of the Pacific campaign, earning eight battle stars during that time period.”
Two of the big guns, each weighing more than 70 tons and from the USS Pennsylvania, now sit at the entranceway to the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg.
The battleship guns are undergoing renovation work and are an annual meeting site on this day, remembering the lives lost and the sacrifices made in wartime.
“The generation who served in World War two continue to serve as an example of strength and resolve,” said Gum. “Living through war without comforts and at home living without comforts due to rationings. In total, 900,971 Pennsylvanians would serve in World War two.”
