Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

…With confidence in our armed forces — with the unbounding determination of our people — we will gain the inevitable triumph — so help us God.
— from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s December 8, 1941 speech to Congress.

68 years ago today, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, making December 7, 1941 the day that would forever live in infamy.

The number of survivors of Pearl Harbor is dwindling. There are less and less of them every year. Our Greatest Generation is leaving us. But even now, all these years later, they still remember. And they still honor the fallen.

At Pearl Harbor, Jerry Mintz fought back against the Japanese surprise attack by grabbing a 50-caliber machine gun and firing at the planes that strafed the anchored Navy fleet and pulled the U.S. into World War II.

In the 68 years since that fateful day, the former Army Air Corpsman started a family and flew 193 missions into tropical storms for the U.S. Weather Bureau.

And he kept alive the memory of the 1941 attack in Hawaii by serving as president of the Gold Coast Chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.

Now 87, the Plantation resident is engaged in another battle, to recover his strength after a bout with shingles and a diagnosis of myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disorder.

“There aren’t many of us left,” said Mintz as physical therapist Connie Lamons put him through a tiring round of exercises last week at the Springtree Rehabilitation Center in Sunrise.

“We are dying off. And those who aren’t dying are becoming like me — they can’t drive.”

Indeed, earlier this year Mintz and a handful of other survivors association members in South Florida voted to disband the group because of the difficulty of getting together.

Yet Mintz and one other Pearl Harbor veteran, Bill Merz, 86, of Hollywood, did attend commemoration ceremonies Sunday at the Coast Guard station in John U. Lloyd State Park.

“It’s our duty,” said Merz, a retired New York City policeman. “We do it to remember the guys who didn’t make it.”

In Boca Raton, Anthony Mancini, 93, said he didn’t know of any other Pearl Harbor survivors who live nearby.

“I lost a lot of guys I knew,” said Mancini, who was stationed on the USS Minneapolis. “The last guy I knew lived on Cape Cod. He died a couple years ago. I have no contact with any survivors. It’s 68 years; that’s two lifetimes.”

In Boynton Beach, the Veterans Council and the city of Boynton Beach are to unveil a monument to the 2,400 Americans killed or wounded at Pearl Harbor in ceremonies beginning at 12:30 p.m., Monday in Bicentennial Park, 400 N. Federal Highway.

Though their numbers are small, the survivors’ message of vigilance remains constant.

“Learn from history,” said Pearl Harbor survivor and Delray Beach resident Harold Shore, who fought in many of the big battles in the Pacific theater, including Guadalcanal and Okinawa.

“Just like it happened then, it can happen again.”

… For Mintz, just 19 years old the Sunday morning of the attack, “Pearl Harbor is something you never forget.

“We survived because maybe God wanted it that way. So I take every opportunity to talk about it, because I want the public to know what really happened.”

Edie Gates, 79, Mintz’s companion for the past six years, said, “Jerry and the other survivors association members are men who love their country. And he feels a responsibility to tell the story.”

Honor. Do we remember what honor is in this country? The attack on Pearl Harbor was, at the time, the worst attack ever on American soil. It was supposed to be the day that forever lives in infamy, but it seems to me like every year, we forget a little less. A few more survivors leave this Earth, and less people care about the attack that happened 68 long years ago. The Japanese are no longer our enemy, so really, what does it matter to keep remembering Pearl Harbor, right?

Well, in my opinion, it is our duty to remember Pearl Harbor. It’s our duty to honor those who fought and died that fateful day. The day we stop being vigilant to our enemies is the day we open ourselves up to another attack, just like the one we were surprised with that morning. Remember Pearl Harbor. Honor the fallen. And never, ever let their deaths have been in vain. Many of them may not be with us anymore, but we can still honor their sacrifice by keeping their memories alive.