USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Sailors took a pause, Dec. 7, to remember the attacks on Pearl Harbor, during a ceremony held on the mess decks aboard the Floating Accommodation Facility.

The remembrance ceremony, led by Commanding Officer Capt. Ron Ravelo, Command Master Chief Lee Salas, and Command Chaplain Cmdr. Maurice Buford, commemmorated the events of that fateful morning through the reading of eyewitness testimonies and viewing archived photos and videos of the devastating attack.

On Dec. 7, 1941, fighter planes from the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Naval Station Pearl Harbor at approximately 7:48 a.m. More than 2,000 service members lost their lives. Eight battleships were damaged, and four of these ultimately sunk.

Although the event occurred decades before many Lincoln Sailors were even born, this day held a personal meaning for some.

"[The events that happened at] Pearl Harbor mean a lot to me. It's been a tradition for my family to be in the military," said Operations Specialist 3rd Class Benjamin Weedon. "My great grandfather served in the military. He actually died in combat."

But ultimately, this day is a reminder of the bravery of the Sailors who stood their ground even while being overwhelmed by the enemy.

"It is very similar to our men and women in the fire department and the police force in New York during 9/11," said Chief Navy Counselor Yenier Ramirez. "Although they knew tomorrow was not going to be likely for them, they still went up into those buildings and did what they had to do. We can relate that to our service men and women who served at Pearl Harbor. Knowing tomorrow was not guaranteed, they still manned the guns to save their fellow shipmates."

Lincoln is currently undergoing Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries in Newport News, Va.

Lincoln is the fifth Nimitz-class ship to undergo RCOH, a major life-cycle milestone. Once RCOH is complete, Lincoln will be one of the most modern and technologically advanced Nimitz-class aircraft carriers in the fleet, and will continue to be a vital part of the nation's defense.

For more news from USS Abraham Lincoln, visit http://www.navy.mil/.