Governor Pat McCrory released the following statement in remembrance of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The 74th anniversary of the attack is tomorrow, Dec. 7.
"Pearl Harbor was a watershed moment for the world,” Governor McCrory said. “It unleashed the heroism of the American people both on the battlefield and on the home front, particularly in North Carolina. This heroic sacrifice not only led to victory, but helped create a nation that the entire world admires for its values, compassion and freedom.”
More than 362,500 North Carolinians served in the military during World War II. North Carolina housed more than 100 Army, Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard facilities where approximately 2 million men were trained for combat. Some of these bases include Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune, Cherry Point Marine Air Station, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
North Carolina's other contributions to the war effort include dozens of Liberty ships and other vessels built by the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company of Wilmington. North Carolina also provided more textile goods than any other state, and was fourth in the production of lumber supplied to the military.
Forty-one U.S. ships involved in the war were named after North Carolina-related people and places. The most famous is the USS North Carolina, a battleship that engaged in much of the fighting in the Pacific.