Bob Fioretti honors Pearl Harbor at Navy Pier: Standing with WWII Hero Carl Lituri
- Dec 7, 2025
- 4 min read
At first light this morning on Chicago’s lakefront, the past and present converged in a powerful way.
Decorated World War II veteran Carl Lituri, now nearing his 100th birthday, led the annual Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremony at Navy Pier, casting a wreath into Lake Michigan in honor of his fallen comrades. Illinois Attorney General candidate Bob Fioretti joined Mr. Lituri and fellow supporters for this solemn tradition, demonstrating in a very visible way that remembrance is not a one-day exercise, but an
ongoing commitment to the people who wore our nation’s uniform.
Today marks the 84th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1941, just before 8:00 a.m. in Hawaii, Japanese forces launched a surprise assault on the U.S. Pacific Fleet, killing 2,403 Americans and wounding 1,178 more. Eighteen ships were sunk or damaged, and more than 180 U.S. aircraft were destroyed. The next day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt told the nation that December 7th would be remembered as “a date which will live in infamy,” a phrase that still shapes how we talk about this day and its impact on our country.
The attack ended any illusion that America could stand apart from a world at war. It pulled the United States firmly into World War II and forced a strategic pivot away from isolationism toward global leadership; an inflection point that continues to guide our foreign policy, alliances, and national security posture today.
In 1994, Congress formally designated December 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, recognizing not just the historic event, but the ongoing responsibility to remember those who served, sacrificed, and never came home. Across the country, flags are flown at half staff, stories are retold, and communities gather at ceremonies like the wreath-laying at Navy Pier, where a long-standing Chicago tradition sends a memorial wreath out onto Lake Michigan in symbolic alignment with ceremonies in Hawaii and at other harbors across the nation.
Mr. Lituri’s presence at today’s ceremony is a living bridge between history and our current moment. A decorated World War II veteran who witnessed the war’s final chapter, he has become a standard-bearer for remembrance events in the Italian American and veterans’ communities, frequently honored for a lifetime of service and patriotism. Each December 7 at 7:48 a.m., the time the first wave of Japanese planes began their attack on Pearl Harbor, Mr. Lituri and fellow veterans commit to this wreath ceremony as a non-negotiable priority. It is their way of making sure that the names, faces, and stories behind the statistics are not lost in the passage of time.
There have been countless stories told, books written, and movies made about Pearl Harbor. Yet the heart of this day is not in film reels or history texts; it is in the lived experiences of those who were there and the families whose lives were forever altered. As supporters, we recognize:
Those who were killed that morning, many of them young sailors and soldiers who never had a chance to respond;
Those who ran toward danger-pulling shipmates from burning decks, fighting fires, and defending the harbor;
Those who shipped out afterward to fight across Europe, Africa, and the Pacific;
And the families who carried the weight of worry, loss, and rebuilding in the years that followed.
Our nation owes all of them a profound debt of gratitude-one that can never be fully repaid, but must always be acknowledged.
That responsibility is becoming more urgent. The number of living Pearl Harbor survivors has dwindled to only a small handful of centenarians, and, for the first time, no survivor was able to attend this year’s official ceremony in Hawaii. As the eyewitnesses fade, communities like ours must step up as the next layer of stewardship: recording their stories, teaching the next generation, and ensuring that “remember Pearl Harbor” is not just a slogan, but an active promise.
This morning at Navy Pier, that promise was made visible. Standing beside Carl Lituri, Bob Fioretti joined veterans, family members, and supporters in a simple but powerful act- releasing a wreath into the cold waters of Lake Michigan as the sun rose over the city skyline. There were no grand speeches, no theatrics-just a shared understanding that we are all stakeholders in the legacy these servicemembers left behind.
For Bob, a longtime civil-rights attorney and former alderman, being at this ceremony is directly aligned with his broader commitment to the rule of law, public service, and respect for those who defend our freedoms. For Mr. Lituri and his fellow veterans, it’s a signal that their sacrifices are not being filed away in a history book; they are informing how leaders show up, listen, and lead today.
On this 84th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, we pause not only to look back, but to look forward. Remembering is not passive; it is a strategic choice about the kind of country we want to be.
We remember the cost of unpreparedness and the human consequences of global conflict.
We remember the courage, unity, and sense of purpose that followed the attack.
And we recommit ourselves to supporting veterans, defending democratic institutions, and building a safer, more just future for the next generation.
As we reflect on today’s ceremony with decorated war hero Carl Lituri and the wreath cast from Navy Pier, we do so with humility and resolve. Pearl Harbor is still, in every sense, a day that lives in infamy for our nation. But because of the resilience of those who served, and those who continue to honor them, it is also a day that reminds us who we are when we are at our best: united, grateful, and determined to carry the torch of freedom forward.
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