Last night I spoke with my Aunt Marie, my mom’s sister on the island of Maui.  Back in 1941, she turned three years old on what would become a very infamous day: December 7th. She shared how her birthday party was cancelled, of course. And instead, she and my grandparents spent much of the day in a makeshift bunker, instead of blowing out candles.

She described the bunker as having a dirt stairway leading down to a soil-rimmed, barren room. Not a place a three year old should spend her birthday. But in the scheme of things, my family and Maui was very fortunate. Ninety some miles away, things were very different on Oahu. The rest, as they say, is history.

On this 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, I am inspired by all who sacrificed so much on that day that changed America forever. I thank all of those brave heroes for their courage and for the freedoms they fought so valiantly to preserve for all of us Americans. On this day, let us all continue to honor their enormous sacrifice and strive to live up to their incredible legacy.