(Radio Iowa) – The sons and daughters of Iowans who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor gathered in the cold and wind today (Tuesday) near the State Capitol to mark the 80th anniversary of the attack. Linda Clark Quigley is the leader of the group, and spoke about the impact of the surprise attack.

Quigley talked about the importance of remembering Pearl Harbor, and read from a statement of a survivor who recently died.

Wreath Laying at PH memorial (12-7-2021)

Quigley says there are no Iowans still alive who survived that tragic day.

Her dad Richard Clark was a signalman aboard the battleship U-S-S Pennsylvania, which was in drydock and hit during the attack. That gave her connection to the other survivors.

She says her dad told her it was a terrible experience to see the death and destruction on December 7th. But she says he later dealt with it.

She says her father knew that not all the Japanese people wanted war and they were not all bad. The ceremony ended with wreaths laid at the Pearl Harbor monument.