 A message from County Executive Brian M. Hughes
The COVID-19 pandemic prevented Mercer County from conducting its annual Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony commemorating the more than 2,400 Americans who died during the surprise air attack on December 7th, 1941. But let us pause and recognize in our hearts those brave heroes who gave their lives so that we might enjoy a future free of fear.
As we remember the 79th anniversary of a "date which will live in infamy," I know we do so with sorrow, but also with hope. By working together, remembering the sacrifices of our brothers and sisters, and finding common ground between ourselves and our neighbors elsewhere in the world, we can heal many wounds.
December 7th also has personal meaning for my family and me. Coincidentally, it’s the date on which Capt. William Michael Murphy Sr., the father of my brothers Michael, Pat and Tim Murphy, died when his plane was shot down while on a combat mission during World War II. And it’s the date on which my father, former Gov. and Chief Justice Richard J. Hughes, passed away in 1992. One served his country and one served his state. I remember both men on this day, along with the heroes who lost their lives and the survivors who were forever shaped by the events on that day.
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