JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- On the morning of Dec. 7th, service members and their friends and families gathered here to remember the fatal attacks on Hickam Field in 1941.

The ceremony, which honored the 492 men and women killed and wounded on Hickam Field, came 75 years after the two waves of attacks launched by the Imperial Japanese Navy on Dec. 7, 1941.

“The attack on Oahu changed the course of history for our nation and the entire world, but it is merely the first chapter in a much longer book,” said 15th Wing commander Col. Kevin Gordon. “This is a story of service, sacrifice, perseverance, unity and triumph.”

Of the 3,000 people in attendance, 10 of them were survivors from the attack.

Among those survivors was Armando ‘Chick’ Galella, a former Army Command Sergeant Major, whose presence at the ceremony was to honor those who died during the attack.

“I am not a hero,” he said. “I’m a survivor of war. We’re here to honor these boys who lost their lives.”

During the ceremony, Gordon shared the stories of the men who came to revisit the place they called home 75 years ago.

"Our citizens stepped up and fought back in defense of our nation, and their stories need to be told," he said.

Former Tech. Sgt. Durward Swanson, a survivor who has attended the Hickam Field ceremony for the past five years, retired the flag that flew during the attacks.

“Around 9 p.m., Sergeant Swanson looked up and saw Old Glory still flying right here at this very flag pole,” Gordon shared. “He grabbed a buddy and they lowered the proudest symbol of our country. On a day when so much had fallen, Old Glory survived.”

The men and women who were here during the attacks were honored by performances by the Pacific Air Forces Band, wreath presentations, and an F-22 flyover.

“I wanted to thank everybody here from the bottom of my heart,” said Galella. “The ceremony was beautiful.”

Following the formal ceremony, attendees posed for photos with the survivors and asked for their autographs.

Gordon reminded the men, women and children in the audience the importance of preserving the Hickam Field heritage and keeping the stories of the fateful day alive.

“Because of you, the events of 7 December 1941 will not be forgotten.”