At 103, Ike Shalom, a Pearl Harbor survivor, returned to Honolulu, Hawaii, to honor the fallen comrades on the 82nd anniversary of the attack. Shalom was greeted with applause as he got off his flight from Portland, Oregon. He said, "I owe them" to the guys who were there that aren't here anymore."
Shalom was serving on the USS Arizona when the Japanese attacked on December 7, 1941. He survived the attack and went on to serve in the Pacific theater for the rest of the war.
Shalom said that he doesn't talk about the attack very often. But he felt it was important to return to Pearl Harbor on the anniversary. "I just felt like I had to come back and pay my respects to the guys who didn't make it," he said.
Shalom was one of a dozen survivors who returned to Pearl Harbor for the anniversary. They were joined by about 30 World War II veterans and some 2,000 members of the public.
The ceremony began with a moment of silence, followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the USS Arizona Memorial. The memorial is built over the sunken battleship, which is still a tomb for more than 1,100 sailors and Marines.
After the ceremony, Shalom said that he was glad he had made the trip back to Pearl Harbor. "It was very emotional," he said. "But it was also good to be back and see all the people who came out to support us."
Shalom's story is a reminder of the sacrifices made by the Greatest Generation. It is also a reminder of the importance of remembering those who have served our country.
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