Virginia Beach, Va. - The annual Pearl Harbor Survivors Remembrance Ceremony was held Sunday at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story.
It's been 73 years since the attack.
For Bill Meuhlieb, the many years that have passed have not made him forget what happened.
"We sort of feel like we established a legacy in uniting a country behind that event - something our adversaries didn't realize would happen and it did. It was that kind of people, that kind of generation," said Meulieb, a survivor of the attack.
While the memories are painful, the importance of remembering what happened 73 years ago lives on with the annual ceremony in Virginia Beach.
"There is a bond that was created among us because of the unique experience that we had together," said Meulieb.
"It's like living history. People read about Pearl Harbor in a text book or see it on television, but they don't think about what really happened within our generation, within the generation that is with us today. They should recognize those heroes," said Rear Admiral Stephen Metruck, Commander of the Fifth Coast Guard District.
Five survivors made their way to the Pearl Harbor memorial to lay a wreath for their fallen brothers and sisters, but while the number of survivors decreases each year, the need to remember grows.
"It's important to remember because most people don't really pay attention to stuff like this, but it plays such a big role in their lives because if there wasn't the survivors today, then there wouldn't be an America as we know it," said Seaman Christopher Lohman.
