Despite a deadly shooting on Wednesday, visitors commemorating the anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor remain in good spirits for the upcoming commemoration.
Saturday will mark the 78th anniversary of the Japanese attacks, which killed 2,403 U.S. service members and decimated the Pacific fleet. Tragedy struck again on Wednesday when 22-year-old Navy Petty Officer Gabriel Romero shot and killed two Department of Defense civilians and injured one other.
Despite the tragic events, visitors are “upbeat,” according to Richard Rovsek, chairman of the Spirit of Liberty Foundation.
“That’s out of the minds temporarily, because the importance now is to honor those who perished in 1941,” Rovsek told the Washington Examiner.
“People are overlooking the bad and moving ahead with the good.”
Romero used his M4 carbine and M9 pistol service weapons in the attack before killing himself. He was assigned to the USS Columbia, an attack submarine that was docked at the Pearl Harbor shipyard for repairs, and was known to have had disciplinary issues. Authorities said the attack appears to be isolated and not ideologically motivated.
Saturday’s events are expected to continue uninterrupted, according to the Pearl Harbor Memorial Foundation. None of the visitors, dignitaries, or officials have canceled their plans in response to the attacks.
“We expect about 3,500 people to attend the main ceremony on Saturday Dec. 7th,” memorial spokeswoman Emily Pruett told the Washington Examiner.
Among them will be 98-year-old Louis Conter, one of three survivors of the USS Arizona who lost 1,177 of his shipmates in the Japanese attacks.
Saturday’s commemoration will begin with a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., the exact moment the attacks started in 1941. Other highlights will include a Hawaiian blessing, wreath presentations, a Marine Corps rifle salute, and music from the Navy’s Pacific Fleet band.
