After Pearl Harbor, country was at 'the height of patriotism,' WWII vet says

Stockton University held an observance Tuesday for Pearl Harbor's 75th anniversary.

GALLOWAY TWP. -- At 12:48 p.m., the room fell silent at Stockton University.

The moment of silence Wednesday was for the 2,403 people who died 75 years ago at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, a surprise attack on eight U.S. Navy battleships by the Japanese that brought the United States into World War II.

For 91-year-old World War II veteran Peter Fantacone, he can remember the day he learned that the United States was under attack. His family was from Manayunk, Pennsylvania and a neighbor knocked on their door at told them the attack happened. They turned on the radio and heard the news.

"The whole country just became electric," Fantacone said, recalling Dec. 7, 1941. "People went down to join the service and that type of thing. I think it was the height of patriotism and loyalty to the government that we'll never see again."

Fantacone was a teenager and already wanted to join the Navy. Once he heard about the attack, his resolve grew, he said while attending Stockton University's observance of Pearl Harbor's 75th anniversary.

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After the attack, the entire country was poised and ready to hit back, Fantacone said. Fantacone was there when America started hitting back. He took part in the Allied invasion into Europe on D-Day, June 6, 1944. After the war, Fantacone spent time in the Pacific Theater as Allied forces occupied Japan.

Stockton University had Fantacone as a special guest for their event, along with other officials.

"Seventy-five years ago later, most of the witnesses are no longer with us but the legacy of the men and women who defended Pearl Harbor on that day of infamy will always remain," said Thomas O'Donnell, assistant dean of students, Veterans Affairs, for Stockton.

"It was a day that defined America and changed the world. Service, sacrifice, valor was demonstrated by American heroes on unprecedented levels and foreshadowed the trials, toughness and grit that epitomizes the Greatest Generation of the second world war."