It's National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Look back at the 'date which will live in infamy'

Marina Pitofsky, USA TODAY
·1 min read

Wednesday marks National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and the 81st anniversary of the attack in Hawaii.

On Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese military made a surprise raid on the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, killing 2,403 U.S. service members and civilians. More than 1,100 people were injured in the attack, which also destroyed aircraft and naval vessels, according to the National Parks Service. 

A WWII veteran is escorted to the National World War II Memorial's Freedom Wall during a 2021 event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
A WWII veteran is escorted to the National World War II Memorial's Freedom Wall during a 2021 event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The next day, Congress would declare war with Japan, leading the U.S. into World War II. During an address to a joint session of Congress, then-President Franklin Roosevelt famously called Dec. 7, 1941 “a date which will live in infamy.”

Congress in 1994 designated Dec. 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, and each year commemorations are held in Hawaii and across the country. American flags from coast to coast will be flown at half-staff in honor of the anniversary.

Here’s a look back at the attack and solemn commemorations honoring those who lost their lives.

Pearl Harbor: More than 80 years after attack, a sailor will finally be laid to rest

USS Arizona survivor: Honor those killed at Pearl Harbor ahead of remembrance ceremony

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visit the National World War II Memorial to mark the 80th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021, in Washington.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visit the National World War II Memorial to mark the 80th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021, in Washington.
President Donald Trump speaks with Pearl Harbor survivor Lawrence Parry (L), alongside fellow survivors, during an event marking National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, DC, December 7, 2017.
President Donald Trump speaks with Pearl Harbor survivor Lawrence Parry (L), alongside fellow survivors, during an event marking National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, DC, December 7, 2017.
President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe participate in a wreath laying ceremony at the USS Arizona Memorial, part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, adjacent to Honolulu, Hawaii, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, as part of a ceremony to honor those killed in the Japanese attack on the naval harbor.
President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe participate in a wreath laying ceremony at the USS Arizona Memorial, part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, adjacent to Honolulu, Hawaii, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, as part of a ceremony to honor those killed in the Japanese attack on the naval harbor.
Pearl Harbor survivors Jack Holder (front right), a veteran of the U.S. Navy, and Edward Miklavcic (background left), a veteran of the then U.S. Army Air Forces, salute during a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day event in Phoenix on the 77th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 2018.
Pearl Harbor survivors Jack Holder (front right), a veteran of the U.S. Navy, and Edward Miklavcic (background left), a veteran of the then U.S. Army Air Forces, salute during a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day event in Phoenix on the 77th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 2018.
Members of the James E. Marshall Post 187 of the American Legion in Winfield, W.Va., fire a 21-gun salute at the conclusion of a National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Ceremony in Charleston, W. Va., Dec. 7, 2018.
Members of the James E. Marshall Post 187 of the American Legion in Winfield, W.Va., fire a 21-gun salute at the conclusion of a National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Ceremony in Charleston, W. Va., Dec. 7, 2018.
A U.S. National Park ranger looks at flags that are flying at half-staff on the grounds of the Washington Monument during a Pearl Harbor 80th Anniversary Commemoration at the World War II Memorial December 7, 2021 in Washington, DC.
A U.S. National Park ranger looks at flags that are flying at half-staff on the grounds of the Washington Monument during a Pearl Harbor 80th Anniversary Commemoration at the World War II Memorial December 7, 2021 in Washington, DC.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2022: A look back at the attack in Hawaii

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