Attorney General Todd Rokita speaks at U.S. Navy ceremony honoring crew 80 years after ship went down in 1945

“Those materials were immediately loaded onto two U.S. B-29 aircraft that proceeded to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” Attorney General Rokita said. “As we all know, those bombings effectively secured the end of the war. The USS Indianapolis played a huge role, then, in achieving victory for America over the forces of fascism and imperial aggression.”

Attorney General Rokita spoke at a U.S. Navy ceremony in Jacksonville, Florida, commemorating the sinking of the USS Indianapolis on July 30, 1945, when it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine.

“We honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice,” Attorney General Rokita said Friday, “and we honor those who survived.”

“You honor these past generations by following in their footsteps and — like they did — entering military service,” Attorney General Rokita said. “One of the best ways to honor our heroes of the past is to do the work necessary to ensure we win the future.”

Civilians can honor the service of U.S. military personnel by considering the things for which they are willing to fight and die, he added, and dedicating themselves to finding ways to work to preserve those same things.