PENSACOLA, Fla. – Sailors and staff attached to Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Corry Station and the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT) commemorated the 79th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor during a ceremony organized by the Chief’s Mess and FY-21 chief petty officer selectees onboard Corry Station, Dec. 7.

The ceremony started with IWTC Corry Station’s Commanding Officer Cmdr. Zach McKeehan reflecting on the fateful day.

“As it was this morning at Corry Station, first call to colors in Pearl Harbor would have been sounded at 0755 on Sunday, 7 December 1941,” shared McKeehan. “However, unlike here today, at 0755, the first wave of 183 aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy commenced a surprise attack… what followed over the next two hours across the island of Oahu was nothing short of a hellish nightmare for our shipmates, on and off duty.”

Commemorating the attack on Pearl Harbor also shows how it impacted future Navy and military intelligence operations.

“It’s important because it changed our warfighting readiness,” said Chief Cryptologic Technician (Maintenance) Mary F. Squire, an instructor at IWTC Corry Station. “Intelligence plays a vital role now on all military operations because of the attack on Pearl Harbor.”

The ceremony, honoring those killed in the attack, was held at the Corry Station flagpole to coincide with morning colors, and was attended by military and civilian staff. Physical distancing was exercised due to the current COVID-19 environment.

“Although the ceremony seemed very short this year in the wake of Covid-19, I believe it spoke volumes over the remembrance of Pearl Harbor,” said Chief (Select) Fire Controlman Christopher C. Wright, an instructor at IWTC Corry Station. “The commanding officer had very encouraging words in displaying the importance of this day December 7, 1941. It was a peaceful time to be a part of colors this morning and to account for that events that aspired that very dreadful day.”

McKeehan also remarked, “Today, and on every Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we should remember what happened during the attack on our Navy that morning. We should also remember what happened across our great nation immediately following the attack. Our nation was unified and resolute in a way never seen before. Americans far and wide rallied around our service and our shipmates and scores sought out recruiting stations to pledge their lives to our nation’s defense. As history teaches, the years that followed the attack were not easy for our shipmates, and certainly did not pass quick, but those years were some of America’s finest yet. The history of Pearl Harbor is our Navy heritage; this history is our Navy legacy.”

IWTC Corry Station is a part of CIWT. With four schoolhouse commands, a detachment, and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, CIWT trains over 22,000 students every year, delivering trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services. CIWT also offers more than 200 courses for cryptologic technicians, intelligence specialists, information systems technicians, electronics technicians, and officers in the information warfare community.

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