Pearl Harbor Day 2022: Is it a national holiday and how is the date marked?
PEARL Harbor Day 2022 marks the 81st anniversary of Japan's sneak attack on the US Navy Base in Hawaii.
The honor, courage, and sacrifice of the 2,403 lives lost and 1,178 injured are acknowledged around America.
When is Pearl Harbor Day?
The US commemorates Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day every year on December 7.
On Wednesday, December 7, 2021, Pearl Harbor survivors, veterans, and the American public will come together to remember the 2,403 service members and civilians who were killed by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941.
The 81st anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor will be observed with special ceremonies.
“We should always be prepared for the unknown. That’s what I would wish Pearl Harbor would have taught us,” said the 101-year-old US veteran Harry L. Chandler.
"It was the surprise of it all. It shouldn’t have been a surprise. They knew Japan was up to something. They didn’t know what, and they didn’t know where."
"Our Nation remains forever indebted to all those who gave their last full measure of devotion eight decades ago."
The first Pearl Harbor Day was held in 1994, after the United States Congress designated December 7 as Pearl Harbor National Remembrance Day during Bill Clinton’s presidency.
Is Pearl Harbor Day a national holiday?
Pearl Harbor Day is not a federal holiday, meaning government offices, schools, and businesses stay open.
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This means Americans will continue to go to work, and mail and other services will be running as normal.
But throughout America, the flag will be flown at half-staff until sunset to honor those who died in the WWII attack on the U.S Military base in 1941.
Some organizations may hold special events to commemorate those killed and injured in the attack and there will be a live-streamed service at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center in Hawaii.
How is Pearl Harbor Day marked?
Every year on December 7, WWII veterans and Pearl Harbor survivors commemorate the attack with services across the US.
The theme for the 2022 celebration theme is Everlasting Legacy.
The tradition began with a commemoration ceremony at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, which started at 7.30 am, per the .
After the morning ceremony, the 81st Annual Pearl Harbor Memorial Anniversary Parade will start opening ceremonies at 4.30 pm on the Kuroda Field.
The theme for the parade will be "remembering our past while celebrating that once bitter enemies can become friends and allies."
Around 2,000 marchers and 10 bands will participate in the parade, along with 60 vehicles and six floats.
What happened at Pearl Harbor?
On December 7, 1941, at 7.55 am local time, Imperial Japanese forces attacked the U.S. military base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.
The first wave of attack bombed hangars and over 300 parked aircraft on Oahu’s airfields.
Torpedoes were also launched against US warships in Pearl Harbour.
Four battleships were hit early on in the attack, including the USS Oklahoma.
The USS Arizona was also sunk, killing some 1,000 men trapped inside.
After two hours, the attack was over and every battleship in the harbor had been seriously damaged.
However, since the water was shallow, all but two battleships were recovered and rebuilt.
During the attack, 2,403 Americans were killed and a further 1,000 were injured.
The attack on Pearl Harbor took the Americans - who were not then involved in WWII - completely by surprise.
But Japanese Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku had spent months planning the attack with the aim to destroy America’s Pacific Fleet and destroy morale in the U.S. Navy.
The plan was to prevent America from fighting back as Japanese forces began to advance on other targets across the South Pacific.
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Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor would drive the United States into World War II - a conflict that ended with Japan’s surrender after the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.
An estimated 140,000 of Hiroshima's 350,000 population were killed in the nuclear blast, and at least 74,000 died in Nagasaki.