Pearl Harbor survivors' families attend Intrepid Museum's 2025 remembrance in NYC
Families of local Pearl Harbor survivors attended the Intrepid Museum's 2025 remembrance ceremonies on Sunday to commemorate 84 years since the attack on Dec. 7, 1941.
The ceremony on the deck of the Intrepid at Pier 86 on Manhattan's East Side began at 11 a.m., and included a wreath-laying ceremony in the Hudson River, as well as remarks from family members.
Relatives of local Pearl Harbor survivors William Adams, Aaron Chabin, Chick Galella and Joseph Medure were in attendance, according to the Intrepid Museum.
"The shock and trauma of witnessing the bombing firsthand stayed with him for the rest of his life," said Marie Ward, Medure's daughter. "He loved his family, and above all, he and his faith of God and love for his country was unyielding."
"I would like to place my dad's Pearl Harbor survivor's cap on the pedestal," Michael Galella said. "My dad would say freedom is not free, and that Dec. 7 should never be forgotten," Michael Galella said.
"While the survivors who participated for many years in the ceremony are sadly no longer with us, the Intrepid Museum continues to honor their heroism and legacy through the annual ceremony," the museum said.
The remembrance ceremony was free with admission to all visitors, according to the museum.
It was also livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube.
Approximately 2,400 U.S. servicemembers and civilians were killed by Japanese forces in the sneak attack on the Naval base in Hawaii, pulling the U.S. into World War II.
Eight U.S. battleships and 200 aircraft were struck, sunk and severely damaged, prompting Congress to declare war the next day.
Only 12 survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack are still alive.