NEO Maroc

Pearl Harbor Remembrance. Every year on December 7, Pearl Harbor survivors, veterans, and tourists from around the globe gather to pay tribute to and remember the 2,403 service members and civilians who lost their lives on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

 

Pearl Harbor Remembrance

Pearl Harbor Remembrance

Every year on December 7, the United States observes National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, also known as Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day or Pearl Harbor Day, to remember and pay tribute to the 2,403 Americans who lost their lives in the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941. As a result, the United States entered World War II the following day by declaring war on Japan.

 

The formal Declaration of the Remembrance

The United States Congress established National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on December 7 of each year in 1994. On August 23, 1994, President Bill Clinton signed the joint resolution. The United States Code adopted it as 36 U.S.C. § 129, which is now known as Patriotic and National Observances and Ceremonies. Clinton proclaimed on November 29 designating December 7, 1994, as the inaugural National Day of Remembrance for Pearl Harbor.

 

Signs of remembering

The American flag should fly at half-staff on Pearl Harbor Day until dusk in remembrance of those who lost their lives in the attack on American military personnel in Hawaii. Pearl Harbor Day is not observed as a federal holiday; stores, government buildings, and schools are open as usual. Certain organizations might host commemorative ceremonies to honor the victims of Pearl Harbor.

 

The day of the attack

The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service attacked the neutral United States at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, close to Honolulu, Hawaii, on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. The attack resulted in the deaths of 2,403 Americans and the injuries of 1,178 others. Four US Navy battleships were sunk and four more were damaged as a result of the attack. Three destroyers, three cruisers, and one minelayer were also damaged. There were 188 damaged and 159 destroyed aircraft losses.

 

Repercussions of the attack

Within hours of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Canada became the first country in the West to declare war on Japan. The United States joined the Allies in World War II on December 8 and declared war on Japan. During an address to Congress, President Franklin D. Roosevelt referred to the attack on Pearl Harbor as "a date which will live in infamy."

 

Pearl Harbor Commemorative Medal

Congress established the Pearl Harbor Commemorative Medal in 1990 in advance of the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which was to take place 50 years later. Awarded to any member of the United States Armed Forces who was in Hawaii on December 7, 1941, and took part in combat operations against the attack, this medal is also known as the Pearl Harbor Survivor's Medal. In addition, civilian victims of the attack who perished or were injured received the medal. A few years later, Congress changed the legislation to make the award available to anyone who was in Hawaii on December 7, 1941, and participated in combat operations against the Japanese military forces that were occupying the island. There was a deadline for applying for the award in both cases, and it is no longer in existence.