Commemorating National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is commemorating National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, which marks 81 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

 “President Franklin D. Roosevelt described that Sunday morning surprise attack as a ‘date which will live in infamy.’ The aerial assault seemed a one-sided victory for imperial Japan, but it missed the all-important aircraft carriers that proved to be a strategic key to winning the hard-fought Pacific theater of World War II.

 “The air raid took the lives of 2,403 U.S. Sailors, Soldiers, Marines and civilians, and many more were injured. In a direct connection to American Samoa, Uifa’atali Peter T. Coleman, was a young U.S. Army officer stationed in Oahu. His Jeep was strafed as he rushed to duty. He went on to serve at Guadalcanal and elsewhere, completed his service with the rank of Captain, and became the first Samoan in the Army Infantry Hall of Fame. I’m very proud of my father, and our people’s strong tradition of military service, as we often have multiple generations of To’a o Samoa in our families.

“As we pause to remember the great World War II generation of patriots, we are grateful to each of our local Service Members from American Samoa who carry forward that legacy. In 2022, the U.S. can count Japan among our allies and trading partners, standing together for peace in the region.”

Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is commemorating National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, which marks 81 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

 “President Franklin D. Roosevelt described that Sunday morning surprise attack as a ‘date which will live in infamy.’ The aerial assault seemed a one-sided victory for imperial Japan, but it missed the all-important aircraft carriers that proved to be a strategic key to winning the hard-fought Pacific theater of World War II.

 “The air raid took the lives of 2,403 U.S. Sailors, Soldiers, Marines and civilians, and many more were injured. In a direct connection to American Samoa, Uifa’atali Peter T. Coleman, was a young U.S. Army officer stationed in Oahu. His Jeep was strafed as he rushed to duty. He went on to serve at Guadalcanal and elsewhere, completed his service with the rank of Captain, and became the first Samoan in the Army Infantry Hall of Fame. I’m very proud of my father, and our people’s strong tradition of military service, as we often have multiple generations of To’a o Samoa in our families.

“As we pause to remember the great World War II generation of patriots, we are grateful to each of our local Service Members from American Samoa who carry forward that legacy. In 2022, the U.S. can count Japan among our allies and trading partners, standing together for peace in the region.”