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Trump, Pence pay tribute on Pearl Harbor Day

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Vice President-elect Mike Pence and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., take part in a wreath laying ceremony with WWII veteran William Flatters during the Pearl Harbor 75th anniversary commemoration, today at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, in honor of the 2,403 men and women killed and the 1,178 wounded at Pearl Harbor 75 years ago. (AP Photo/Molly Riley)

President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence separately paid tribute to the fallen, wounded and veterans of Dec. 7, 1941.

“Their shared sacrifice reminds us of the great costs paid by those who came before us to secure the liberties we enjoy, and inspires us to rise to meet the new challenges that stand before us today,” Trump said in a Facebook post today.

Pence, meanwhile, joined Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., at a wreath-laying ceremony as part of a Pearl Harbor 75th anniversary commemoration, today at the National World War II Memorial in Washington.

Pence, the governor of Indiana, also ordered state flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of those who died in the attack.

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Full Donald Trump statement

“We pause today to remember the 2,403 American heroes who selflessly gave their lives at Pearl Harbor 75 years ago, on a date that will forever live in infamy. We also honor the 1,178 Americans who were wounded, and the countless others who instinctively did their duty, rushing to their posts in the midst of the chaos. Their shared sacrifice reminds us of the great costs paid by those who came before us to secure the liberties we enjoy, and inspires us to rise to meet the new challenges that stand before us today.

“America’s enemies have changed over the past 75 years. But the fact remains, as President Reagan said when first proclaiming National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, ‘there can be no substitute for victory’ in the pursuit of peace. Today we are the bearers of the torch of freedom these brave Americans passed on to us.

“In honor of their faithfulness, and for the sake of generations to come, we will never allow that flame to be extinguished.”

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