President Trump met some Pearl Harbor vets and they are still everything that is right about America

Brenna Williams
Analysis by Brenna Williams, CNN
2 minute read
Updated 6:09 PM EST, Thu December 7, 2017
Members of the Navy on the USS Halsey in Honolulu take part in a commemoration ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor on Wednesday, December 7.
Members of the Navy on the USS Halsey in Honolulu take part in a commemoration ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor on Wednesday, December 7.
Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
Hundreds gather at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, a military base adjacent to Honolulu.
Hundreds gather at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, a military base adjacent to Honolulu.
Petty Officer 1st Class Rebecca/US NAVY/EPA
Vice President-elect Mike Pence greets WWII veteran William Flatters during a ceremony at the National World War II Memorial in Washington.
Vice President-elect Mike Pence greets WWII veteran William Flatters during a ceremony at the National World War II Memorial in Washington.
Molly Riley/AP
Navy veteran Russ Collins salutes at the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial in Camden, New Jersey.
Navy veteran Russ Collins salutes at the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial in Camden, New Jersey.
Matt Rourke/AP
Crew members of the USS John C. Stennis stand on deck of the guided missile destroyer USS Halsey in Honolulu.
Crew members of the USS John C. Stennis stand on deck of the guided missile destroyer USS Halsey in Honolulu.
Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
Bill Kiley, a flag bearer of the color guard, participates in a ceremony in Portland, Maine. Kiley served in the Navy from 1954-1958.
Bill Kiley, a flag bearer of the color guard, participates in a ceremony in Portland, Maine. Kiley served in the Navy from 1954-1958.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP
Bugler Jerry Dewitt plays taps, a bugle call played at dusk, in Portland, Maine, honoring those who died in the 1941 attacks on Pearl Harbor. Dewitt, the commander of the Maine Amvets, served 28 years in the Army.
Bugler Jerry Dewitt plays taps, a bugle call played at dusk, in Portland, Maine, honoring those who died in the 1941 attacks on Pearl Harbor. Dewitt, the commander of the Maine Amvets, served 28 years in the Army.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP
America remembers: The 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor
CNN  — 

On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation honoring National Pearl Harbor Day. Flanked by six Pearl Harbor veterans, Trump lauded the actions of those who fought and died at the US Navy base in Hawaii, which was attacked by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941.

The President and everyone watching at home were reminded of why those vets were truly members of The Greatest Generation.

These five moments really highlighted that fact:

1. One of the vets in attendance was supposed to play a football game on the day of the attack, and he’d still be a force to be reckoned with on the field and off

“You never got that game, right?” Trump said to Hawaiian shirt-sporting Mickey Ganitch.

“We had a war to fight,” Ganitch responded.

Ganitch, who uses two canes, then proceeded to bend over into a three-point stance not once, but twice! There are plenty of twenty-somethings who might have trouble doing that.

“I’m not playing him in football,” Trump said.

Ganitch went on to steal the show by singing the Sammy Kaye song “Remember Pearl Harbor.” It was the most touching thing you will see all day.

2. Another vet stole Trump’s signature move, but he survived Pearl Harbor, so he’s more than earned that right

“Larry said he hopes we can build up the military again,” Trump said of Larry Parry, prompting a thumbs up from the veteran. “We are building up the military beyond what you ever thought.”

3. One of the veterans looks four decades younger than he is (according to Trump)

Pearl Harbor Ceremony
CNN

Robert Fernandez served on the USS Curtiss, but what really impressed President Trump is how good the nonagenarian looks.

“You look like you’re about 50 years old,” Trump said. “You look great. What is the age?”

“Ninety-three now,” Fernandez responded.

“Ninety-three? Well, you look great,” Trump said.

Objectively, his posture is amazing.

4. They survived “a pretty wild scene”

If you’ve ever seen images from the Pearl Harbor attack, you know that the destruction is truly flooring. President Trump seems to think so.

“That was a pretty wild scene. You’ll never forget that, right?” Trump said.

Hopefully the country at large never will.

5. The veterans with Trump were six out of thousands who answered the call to serve their country

“They fought. They bled. They sacrificed. And they triumphed,” Trump said.