A Tuskegee Airman honored the fallen at a Pearl Harbor Day remembrance in Camden, New Jersey.
On December 7, 2023, 82 years have passed since the 1941 Japanese attack, which resulted in the deaths of 2,403 US service members and civilians.
Eugene Richardson, a last-surviving Tuskegee Airmen pilot, joined the Army Air Corps at 17 and became a pre-aviation cadet.
After training and becoming a qualified fighter pilot, he did not participate in air combat as European fighting ended two months after his commission.
"It was a dream come true for me because since I was a little kid, I wanted to fly an airplane," Richardson said Wednesday.
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day has been held annually since 1994.
During WWII, the Tuskegee Airmen safeguarded bomber pilots from enemy fighters, never losing a bomber, and successfully shot down 112 enemy aircraft.
Richardson stated that the white boys and bombers were asked to protect them after witnessing the good work of the team.
"All gave some, some gave all," said Lt. Col. Rev. Floyd White, a retired Army and Air Force chaplain and the pastor of Woodland Avenue Presbyterian Church.
White and the Woodland Community Development Corporation then announced the creation of a scholarship in Richardson's name.
Richardson received the Congressional Medal of Honor from President George W. Bush in 2007.