Today marks the 77th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack.

Early in the morning Dec. 7, 1941, a radar operator spotted a group of planes heading towards the island of Oahu, but his superior thought it was B-17 bombers.

Starting at 7:55 a.m., the Japanese forces attacked the base for 75 minutes, destroying the USS Arizona and destroying and damaging other vessels as well.

The casualties numbered in the thousands, with 2008 U.S. Navy deaths, 218 Army, 109 Marines and 68 civilians.

The next day, the United States declared war on Japan and headed into WWII.

In the 77 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. has seen other tragedies, other attacks.

For decades, the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was the deadliest attack on U.S. soil. That changed on Sept 11, 2001, another day that, to borrow a phrase from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, will live in infamy.

Like 9/11 or the assassination of JFK, most people remember where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news.

In recent years, the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack has faded into the background.

But it bears remembering.

It warrants remembering.

America was built generation by generation, each one picking up the baton from the previous generation and running it further down the line.

For Americans in 1941, often referred to as the Greatest Generation, the Pearl Harbor attack was a stunning shock, both in its suddenness and in its number of fatalities.

They responded with steely resolve.

Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today.

Two years ago was the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack.

Following a milestone like that, people can forget.

But this year and every year, we’d do well to remember those men and women who stood steadfast in the face of war, offer them our gratitude and honor that generation that sacrificed so much.