Honolulu ( CNN ) -- President Barack Obama has now done what every president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has done -- visited the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii . Accompanied by his wife , Obama Thursday marked this year 's 70th anniversary of the 1941 Pearl Harbor attacks by laying a wreath inside the memorial and scattering white , yellow and purple flower petals in the water above the wrecked ship . Sporting a dark suit -- attire Obama frequently wears in Washington but something that has not been seen on his current vacation -- the president observed a moment of silence while in the shrine room of the memorial . The president made no remarks while at the memorial , however , he marked the anniversary earlier in the month by releasing a statement that said , `` we salute the veterans and survivors of Pearl Harbor who inspire us still . Despite overwhelming odds , they fought back heroically , inspiring our nation and putting us on the path to victory . '' Adm. Robert Willard , Navy commander of the U.S. Pacific Command , along with Donna Willard , the admiral 's wife , also accompanied the first family at the memorial . Dedicated in 1962 , the memorial sits above the sunken USS Arizona and commemorates the over 2,300 lives lost when Japan launched a surprise attack on the Navy base . That attack propelled U.S. military involvement in World War II and triggered the county 's involvement in what came to be known as the Pacific theater . The stop was part of the Obama 's larger Christmas vacation in Hawaii . Born in the Aloha state , the president has made Hawaii a regular vacation destination for his family while in office . This was not the president 's first visit to the memorial ; as president-elect Obama visited the memorial in late 2008 .
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the attack . More than 200 lives were lost in the surprise attack by Japan . Every president since FDR has visited the island .