Last Tuesday, on a cold and clouded Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor survivors and their families from Washington state gathered at Naval Station Everett’s Pier Alpha alongside the frigate USS Rodney M. Davis(FFG 60) to remember the events in Hawaii 63 years ago.

Many Everett Sailors were also on hand to honor their fallen shipmates and pay tribute to the local survivors of Pearl Harbor who wore the uniform years ago. 

“I was on duty that morning, sitting in the guardhouse,” said Army Sgt. Major (ret.) Charles Kowalski, remembering his own experiences Dec. 7, 1941. “Suddenly I heard explosions and planes diving so I went outside and looked down the street. From where I stood, I could see planes were bombing and strafing the [Wheeler] Air Force base.”

Close combat would almost become routine for Kowalski throughout his Army career. During 23 years of service, he was there when the Japanese began bombing Pearl Harbor, fought during the Korean conflict and served in Vietnam.

“I joined the Army’s frequent flier program,” Kowalski said with a grin. 

Kowalski and the other honored guests each donned a hat bearing the words “Pearl Harbor Survivors,” along with the name of the ship the individual served on that fateful day in 1941. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor ended with 2,388 Americans dead and 1,177 wounded.

To conclude the ceremony, Kowalski and fellow survivor Coxswain Mate 2nd Class (ret) Al Weddle dropped a wreath into the calm waters of the Puget Sound, saluting as they watched it fall.

Weddle was serving on board USS Tangier at Pearl Harbor during the attack.

“On Tangier we had probably 700,000 gallons of aviation fuel on board,” he said. “We’d have gone up like a sky rocket, but we only got hit in about 40 places with shrapnel.”

Each of the survivors stressed the importance of keeping Americans familiar with the events at Pearl Harbor. The local Pearl Harbor survivors still travel to schools to give future generations first hand accounts of a significant event in their country’s past.

“It’s always good to know that someone is interested in what, how and why you did it,” said Kowalski. “I love answering their questions. Whenever they ask why, I always tell them, ‘we did it for you.’”