BEAUMONT — Seated next to each other, walking canes within reach, Harold Placette and Joe McKinley talk of the past and of the fateful events known as Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

Beyond their aged faces is a glimmer of the young men who served in the U.S. Navy during the prime of the Greatest Generation. Placette, a Port Arthur native and McKinley, a Nederland resident, have kept in touch through the decades since the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. They have spent time and energy teaching others of the dark time in the nation’s history and of why Americans must never forget Dec. 7, 1941.

“Hardly a day goes by that something doesn’t remind me of it,” McKinley said recently from a chair at the Clifton Steamboat Museum while surrounded by a display of Pearl Harbor memorabilia. “It’s something that I’ll never forget and it’s not out of my mind for long. The past was burned into my mind.”

On that early Sunday morning in 1941, the 21-year-old McKinley was aboard the USS Cassin, a destroyer which was in a dry dock in Hawaii. The bombing began while the young man was in the mess hall. At first he thought the sounds were salute gun tributes used for visiting celebrities until one blast hit close to the Cassin.

“I ran up and heard the planes. You could hardly hear yourself. It was so loud it vibrated my face,” he said. “And I could smell the exhaust from the dive bombers.”

As McKinley looked to the skies he saw a bomber coming in close — so close he could see the Japanese pilot was wearing goggles and waving at him. Soon McKinley was scrambling to alert his fellow crewmen who at first did not believe him. One man even threw a shoe at McKinley from a bunk to quiet him down. Then another bomb hit and the sleeping men fell out of their bunks and realized they were under attack.

About two miles away, the 19-year-old Placette was aboard the destroyer USS Phelps. It was just before breakfast and a light breeze was carrying the floral scent of Hawaiian flowers, he said. Soon Placette heard the bombing and raced topside and from his position he could see Battleship Row. To his right were the USS Utah, USS St. Louis and the USS Raleigh.

“From that post I saw the Utah take a torpedo hit. She rolled over and I saw soldiers in their whites climbing over. One of those men that I saw was from Bridge City,” he said. “Then the Shaw blew up with a terrific explosion. I could also see the Arizona very good from where I was.”

The USS Arizona was sunk during the attack, taking along with her 1,177 of the 1,400 on board at the time. The wreckage of the Arizona now lies at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean — a memorial to those who lost their lives during the attack.

Placette, 85, and McKinley, 87, were once part of a local chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors club. Each man also participated in reunions for members of their respective ships. Placette started reunions for the USS Phelps in 1969 with the first event held in Houston. A decline in attendance led to the last reunion being held in 1995.

“Most members had either passed away, had failing health or their wives health was declining,” Placette said.

The Golden Triangle Chapter of Pearl Harbor Survivors no longer exists, the men said. Of the once crowded membership, only the two remain. On Tuesday, Dec. 4, one of the last members of the chapter died, Luke Trahin of Beaumont. Trahin was a longtime friend of both Placette and McKinley.

Bill Muehleib, vice president of the Veterans Service Organization, said it is difficult to tally the actual number of Pearl Harbor survivors but gives an approximate number around 4,900. The organization’s only way to make the count is through those who are members of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.

“In 1941 there were about 45,000 Army personnel in Honolulu and about 37,000 Naval personnel,” he said.

Muehleib said his group receives constant requests from social groups and educational groups wanting a Pearl Harbor survivor for a question and answer period or for a dissertation.

“It’s getting harder and harder each year to find the survivors,” he said.

But keeping the memory of that fateful day alive is something Placette and McKinley have done for many years until their health began to decline.

McKinley recalled a sad instance where he was speaking about Pearl Harbor and his experiences to seniors at a local Mid-County high school. After the speech he asked if anyone in the audience had questions. One girl raised her hand and asked, “who won that war?” The question bowled McKinley over but he quickly answered, “America.”

Whenever Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day rolls around Placette will receive calls from family and former shipmates. Some may consider the day an “anniversary” of the attack but Placette refuses to use the word because it gives a connotation of a party, he said.

“Our mission now is to keep Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day alive and that’s what we intend to do,” he said. “What if we had one (attack) tomorrow, where would our country be?”