Pearl Harbor attack marks 82nd anniversary

Military veterans and their families, and visitors from around the world, will converge today in Hawaii for ceremonies to mark National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

Today marks the 82nd anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which killed 2,403 service members and civilians, destroyed or damaged nearly 20 U.S. naval vessels — permanently sinking the USS Arizona and USS Utah battleships — and destroyed 188 aircraft, according to the National Park Service

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That attack — “a date which will live in infamy,” then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt told Congress — drew the United States into World War II.

A remembrance ceremony will be held starting at 11:45 a.m. Iowa time at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. A ceremony for the USS Oklahoma at the USS Oklahoma Memorial will be held starting at 5 p.m. Iowa time. Links to watch an online livestream of both ceremonies can be found at pearlharborevents.com.

In addition, a scattering of ashes for Pearl Harbor survivor Jack Holder will be held at the USS Utah Memorial. Holder died Feb. 24 in Arizona, just months after attending last year’s Pearl Harbor ceremonies.

December 7th: a date which still lives in infamy.

Eighty-two years ago, forces of the Japanese military attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawai'i, killing over 2,400 Americans. The events at Pearl Harbor would lead to American entry into World War II. pic.twitter.com/ChGWGpZMM0

— American Experience (@AmExperiencePBS) December 7, 2023