It has been 76 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor, which launched the United States into World War II. I’ve written about the attack before, and we are arriving at a point where there soon won’t be any Pearl Harbor survivors left.

Ray Chavez, the oldest living American veteran from that day, turned 105 earlier this year. Raymond Haerry was a 20-year-old coxswain on the USS Arizona, when he was blown from the ship’s deck during the attack. He died last year at the age of 94 and was interred with his shipmates this past spring. Five survivors from the Arizona remain: Lauren Bruner, Lou Conter, Lonnie Cook, Ken Potts and Donald Stratton. All are in their mid 90s.

The last time I visited Pearl Harbor was with my sister in 2009. Heather and I had the opportunity to meet a couple of veterans who were volunteering at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center that day, Sterling Cale and Al Rodriques. Both are still alive but are 96 and 97 respectively.

While the survivors from December 7, 1941 may not be with us in the years to come, their legacies are secure. The renovated and modernized visitor center was completed in 2010. The USS Arizona Memorial celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012. When I’m back on Oahu next year I look forward to visiting again.

The Pearl Harbor attack killed 2,335 military personnel, plus 68 civilians. Most of the deaths were on the USS Arizona where 1,177 men were killed. A bomb ignited about one million pounds of powder in the ship’s forward magazines. Nearby along Battleship Row, the USS Oklahoma lost 429 men after taking several torpedo hits and capsizing.

If you have the opportunity to visit the center, you should do it. While there is a buzz of activity at the visitor center, the memorial is a very quiet place of reflection. You’ll leave changed by the magnitude of what happened on a Sunday morning a lifetime ago.