Valley vets honor anniversary of 'day that will live in infamy'

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- December 7, 1941, it's a date which will live in infamy.

Seventy-four years ago the Japanese made a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The attack killed more than 2,000 people and led to the U.S. entering World War 2.

Valley veterans and the community honored the US, as they took time Monday to remember the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing. In the crowd were a few Pearl Harbor survivors. "I remember running downstairs and hiding in the dipper," veteran Ed Waldron said.

Waldron came to the ceremony with his family. His daughter, Patti Waldron Cline, described those moments for her father. "So he was just waiting for troop transport and woke up Sunday morning to the sounds of bombs," Patti said. "Everybody ran downstairs, he said all hell was breaking loose. Nobody knew what was going on."

Veteran Chuck Lishman said the day still stands out in his mind. "See this plane coming in," Lishman remembered. "And the next thing I knew, they were blowing up Ford island, Hickam Field and blowing everything up."

During the ceremony, leaders spoke about the sacrifice of our veterans, and they honored their fallen comrades. At the end of the ceremony, Lishman, got a special thank you from a stranger. "I can only say thank you to all of you and this country," the stranger told Lishman

Marlena Raffety is now an American citizen, but she was a child living in Berlin during the war. She is forever grateful for American troops. "I can say God bless them for what they have done," Raffety said.