National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt

There is a beautiful lagoon in the Hawaiian Islands that is named for the lustrous jewel that is formed when a piece of sand irritates a clam into coating it to protect itself. This harbor also houses the headquarters of the United States Pacific Fleet, and has been an important part of the American Naval placement in the Pacific Ocean since 1887.

Little did anyone know at that time that an attack on this harbor would bring the entire might of the American Military into a war it was desperately seeking to avoid. National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day honors the men and women who died in the Japanese attack on this beautiful harbor one December day in 1941.

Learn About National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Sometimes referred to as Pearl Harbor Day, this is a yearly day of remembrance for those who lost their lives on the 7th of December in 1941 at Pearl Harbor. We pay honor to the citizens who were killed when Japan sprung their surprise attack. This date results in World War Two, as the United States declared war on Japan on the following day. National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day has been entered into publication in Congress, meaning that it has been an official date since 1994. The then-President Bill Clinton signed the joint resolution at the time.

On this day, organizations across the United States hold tributes to honor the memory of Pearl Harbor. There are also a lot of reunions and survivors share their stories as well. Traditionally, the United States flag will be flown at half-staff until sunset. This is an act that honors the people who lost their lives while they were serving for the U.S. at Pearl Harbor.

Today, there are a number of different sites at Pearl Harbor that have been created in memory of those who served during the bombing. Pearl Harbor is the final resting place for a lot of the crew of USS Oklahoma, USS Arizona, and USS Utah. The memorials here serve as a place of honor to the service members who lost their lives during the attack. They also act as a touching and emotional reminder of war and the loss that it causes.

At Pearl Harbor, you will find the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, which pays honor to the American submarine that sunk 44 ships during World War Two. There is also the USS Utah Memorial. This is in remembrance of the former battleship, which in 1931 was converted into a target ship. It was sunk in an attack on the 7th of December in 1941. Another site is the USS Oklahoma Memorial, which pays tribute to the battleship that was also sunk on this date, resulting in 429 men losing their lives. There is also a marble memorial that goes over sunken battleship USS Arizona, which is in tribute of the 1,177 crew members who died.

History of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

The History of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is the history of the attack itself, an attack which took place on December 7th, 1941. The attack was devastating, killing over 2,400 citizens of the United States from the time it began at 7:48am Hawaiian time and ended just 90 minutes later, making the attack incredibly devastating. Multiple ships were lost during the attack, though things could have been much worse.

Intelligence gathered after the attack indicated that there was intended to be a third-wave of attacks to hit the island, complete with an invasion fleet intended to take the island and prevent it from being used as an American base of operation.

The purpose behind this surprise attack? America was well positioned in the Pacific to interfere with Japanese fleet maneuvering, and it was hoped that by launching this assault they would cripple the US Pacific Presence and be able to control the ocean unhindered.

As early as 1984, National Pearl Harbor Rembrance Day was officially declared by President Ronald Reagan. Then, in 1994, the United States Congress agreed jointly that this event would be celebrated each year going forward.

How to Observe National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Commemorating National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is your opportunity to show your support for those veterans who are still alive from the Pearl Harbor bombing, and pay respect to those who give themselves in service to our country and its security every day.

Attend Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremonies

All over the US there are ceremonies to honor these men and women along with the rest of the surviving WWII veteran’s, of which there were 855,070 in 2016. Servicemen all over the world deserve the respect of their countrymen, and the war affected us all, so even if you aren’t American, pay your respects to those who serve.

There are a number of different events that will take place throughout the United States, so you can find out whether there are any taking place in your local area. If there aren’t or you live in another part of the world, you can keep track of everything that is going on online.

Learn More About Pearl Harbor

You can also spend this day learning more about Pearl Harbor and the events that happened. Thanks to the Internet, it is easy to gain access to information on past events today. You will be able to learn about how the war started and what happened on this fatal date. You can also learn about specific accounts involving survivors, as well as those who lost their lives fighting for their country. There are lots of great books on the war, and of course, there’s the Pearl Harbor film too.