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Hancock County Young Marines Mark Pearl Harbor Day Anniversary

WEIRTON — The words used by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to describe the surprise attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor 75 years ago today — “a day that will live in infamy” — still resonate today as Americans alive on that day still remember the attack with clarity, and a new generation does its best to honor those who fell there.

“I was 12 years old when it happened,” said Gabe Arlia, a retired member of the United States Marine Corps. “When we went to school the next day, we had only one geography teacher who knew where Pearl Harbor was, and she had the globe out when we came in so we could learn where it is and understand what happened.”

Today, the USS Arizona Memorial straddles the wreck of the fallen battleship, allowing visitors to walk over the site and learn about the events that took place on that tragic day.

Local youths will be among the many officials and service members making the pilgrimage to Pearl Harbor to honor the fallen sailors on the 75th anniversary of the attack.

Members of the Tri-State Young Marines from Weirton made the journey to Hawaii to participate in the remembrance ceremony and wreath laying for the victims of the attack.

Arlia, who is the commander of the local Young Marines, said six of his recruits made the trip.

Arlia has been involved with the Young Marines program since 1989, and said he is proud his recruits are going to be part of the ceremony.

“Let them remember what took place there and why,” Arlia said. “We try to tell them and instill in them duty, honor, country.”

The recruits from the Tri-State Young Marines left for Hawaii on Sunday to participate in the wreath laying at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific on Tuesday.

In addition to the wreath ceremony, the Young Marines will participate in several memorial parades in Honolulu, as well as a beach cleanup in Oahu to give back to the community.

The Young Marine Corps were founded in 1958, and its mission, as stated on the organizations website, is to “to positively impact America’s future by providing quality youth development programs for boys and girls that nurtures and develops its members into responsible citizens who enjoy and promote a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.”

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