The time, 8:06 a.m. — December 7, 1941 — is forever fixed on this clock, just like it is on our collective psyche. As Americans, we’ll never forget the events of that day in the middle of the Pacific, but more importantly, we’ll never forget the brave service members who lost their lives early that morning defending freedom and a way of life.

The timepiece belonged to United States Navy Chaplain Thomas Kirkpatrick (pictured above), who was aboard the USS Arizona when it exploded, and perished along with 1,176 other sailors.

It’s held this measurement of time for 75 years.

Two days prior to the attack, Kirkpatrick wrote to another chaplain aboard the USS North Carolina that “this is a tense week with us out here, and before you get this it will be decided one way or the other, doubtless.”

In commemoration of the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the Twitter feed for the USS Arizona is posting photographs and tributes all day Wednesday. To view them all, click here.