Hickam set to commemorate 72nd anniversary of December 7th attack Published Dec. 3, 2013 By Staff Sgt. Terri Paden 15th Wing Public Affairs JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- This year's 72nd anniversary remembrance ceremony for the December 7, 1941, attacks on Pearl Harbor and Hickam Field will be attended by four December 7 survivors and a host of family members of those killed in action or deceased, including Tech. Sgt. Andrew Shepherd, an active-duty member assigned to the 15th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron here whose grandfather survived the attack on Hickam Field. "It's a real privilege to know I'll be meeting survivors that served here with my grandfather, and show them that even after all these years, we're still eager to remember the sacrifices they made," said Shepherd. The ceremony will start at 7:55 a.m., the approximate time the attacks that claimed the lives of 190 Airmen and Civilians on Hickam Field began. In observance of its historical past, the ceremony is scheduled to take place on Hickam Field at the flagpole in Atterbury Circle, a site which, according to Jessie Higa of the Hickam History Club, is "holy ground," and still boasts the original bullet holes and strafing marks from the attack. "The flag pole is a December 7 survivor too," she said. "That location is truly considered ground zero for the attack on Hickam Field and that's why we chose this location to honor the fallen. Several young men gave their lives defending the symbol of our great nation, and though it was torn, tattered and wounded it remained standing at the end of the attacks and served as a symbol of hope and resolve." Those interested in attending the ceremony should be in place no later than 7:30 a.m. December 7 In civilian attire or uniform of the day.