6 Places to Observe Pearl Harbor Day—Without Going to Hawaii
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii 73 years ago this week, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called it “A day that would live in infamy.”
Few of us were alive in 1941 when the attack brought us into WWII, so National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day helps us to honor those who perished. The flag should be flown at half-mast each December 7.
Six places to observe National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
Want to observe and honor the event but can’t make it to the actual historic site in Hawaii? Here are six observances within the lower 48 states:
1. Washington, DC: It’s worth a trip to the WWII Memorial in our nation’s capital to reflect on Pearl Harbor Day. Don’t miss the official inscription commemorating Pearl Harbor.
While you’re in the city, visit the U.S. Navy Museum in Washington, DC has an exhibit called “In Harm’s Way: The U.S. Navy and WWII,” which follows events in chronological order from Pearl Harbor to VE and VJ days.
2. Charleston, South Carolina: The Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors are holding their annual convention in this Southern city on December 4-8, 2014.
3. Hyde Park, New York: The FDR Presidential Library and Museum has a collection of documents (available in PDF for review from your computer screen) related to FDR and his response to Pearl Harbor. I saw some of these when I visited in September 2014.
Some conspiracy theorists believe FDR knew about the attacks in advance or “tricked” the Japanese into the attack, and the documents show a diversity of views on this issue. Most scholars view Pearl Harbor as the consequence of missed clues, intelligence errors, and overconfidence.
4. Fredericksburg, Texas: The National Museum of the Pacific War is hosting a Pearl Harbor Observance, which features “patriotic music, presentation of colors, rifle salute, and guest keynote speaker will be a part of the ceremony.”
5. Phoenix, Arizona: The State of Arizona is hosting a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day event at the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, including a keynote speaker, wreath laying ceremony, and access to the State Capitol Museum.
6. Your living room, Anytown, USA: Curl up for an evening of personal reflection by watching clips of Pearl Harbor from Ken Burns’ The Roosevelts: an Intimate History series (check local PBS listings for rebroadcasts or order your own copy from Amazon.com).
Since visiting FDR’s Little White House earlier this year, I’ve been reading No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin, which chronicles the lives of Franklin, Eleanor and their inner circle during WWII. The reading experience has been enriched by my visits to not only Hyde Park (where he was born and home to his presidential library), and Warm Springs, Georgia (where FDR died) but also to Campobello Island, New Brunswick (where he was diagnosed with polio.)
Friends, history comes to life when you travel and it’s as interesting as anything you might call “entertainment.” Get out there!
