Kendall County Times

On the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Illinois residents took time to reflect and remember the more than 2,400 U.S. personnel who lost their lives during the attack.

Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) shared a photo on Facebook in recognition of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on Tuesday, 

“80 years ago, today,” Rezin wrote in her post. “Remembering the lives lost at Pearl Harbor, a day that will live in infamy.”

According to the History website, Japanese fighter planes attacked the U.S. naval base near Honolulu on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, killing over 2,400 Americans and wounding another 1,000, including civilians. The attacks resulted in the destruction or damage of 20 U.S. Navy vessels and more than 300 airplanes, leading then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt to declare war on Japan just one day after the attack.

At that time, the president delivered an address to the nation stating he had directed all measures be taken for the country’s defense, Time Magazine reported. In the same address, he said no matter how long it may take to overcome the invasion, the American people would win and defend themselves to ensure such an action would never endanger the American people again.

Among the dozens of Illinois residents killed in the Pearl Harbor attacks, 21-year-old Lt. John Dains from Mount Olive is believed by some to have shot down the first Japanese plane in the war, earning him a Purple Heart and Silver Star award after his death, My Journal Courier reports. Others include William Arbuckle from Marshall, who was one of the 58 casualties in the USS Utah bombing; and two of the seven Conlin brothers from Decatur – at just 18 and 19 years old, were among the 57 Illinoisans killed on the USS Arizona.