Events mark Pearl Harbor Day's 65th
Advertiser Staff
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A week of events is planned for the 65th anniversary of the Dec. 7 attack on Pearl Harbor.
The memorial ceremony commemorating the anniversary will feature a keynote address on Dec. 7 from Tom Brokaw at Naval Station Pearl Harbor's Kilo Pier, which looks out to the USS Arizona Memorial. More than 1,500 Pearl Harbor survivors and their families from around the country are expected for the annual observance.
This year's theme is, "A Nation Remembers," and these are among the events planned:
A gathering of Pearl Harbor historians, authors and survivors and Japanese aviation veterans to recount the events that led America into World War II. Hosted by the National Park Service and the Arizona Memorial Museum Association, the Pearl Harbor 65th Anniversary Symposium will include panels, lectures, receptions and bus tours to actual attack sites throughout O'ahu.
For more information or to register, visit www.Arizonamemorial.org or call (888) 485-1941.
The public is invited to attend a free special showing of rare Japanese and American newsreel footage from actual 1941 news reports on the attack.
For more information, visit www.arizonamemorial.org or call 1-888-485-1941
An elegant black-tie dinner dance with Pearl Harbor survivors featuring live band music and entertainment from the 1940s. Tickets start at $250 per person with proceeds benefiting the Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund, which is leading the charge to replace the USS Arizona Memorial Museum and Visitors Center.
For more information, call (866) DEC-1941, visit www.pearlharbormemorial.com
The National Park Service is offering two special Historic Pearl Harbor Boat Tours on Dec. 6 at the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center. The free one-hour boat tours will be narrated by National Park Service rangers and will take visitors around historic Ford Island. Seating is limited; no reservations will be accepted. Instead, tickets will be distributed on Dec. 6, beginning at 7:30 a.m., on a first-come, first-serve basis.
For more information, call the National Park Service at (808) 422-2771.
Former NBC Nightly News anchor and managing editor Tom Brokaw will serve as the keynote speaker for the commemoration. Highlights include music by the U.S. Pacific Fleet Band, a Hawaiian blessing, a rifle salute by members of the U.S. Marine Corps, wreath presentations, echo taps and recognition of the men and women who survived that Dec. 7, 1941, and those who died.
At 7:55 a.m., the exact moment the Japanese attack began 65 years ago, a moment of silence will be observed. A U.S. Navy ship will render honors to the USS Arizona. Hawaii Air National Guard F-15s will fly over the memorial in a "missing man" formation.
The commemoration is free and a limited number of seats are open to the general public. Due to strict security measures on Naval Station Pearl Harbor, only invited guests will be allowed access on base in their vehicles. Members of the general public wishing to attend the commemoration will be required to board Navy boats departing from the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center, which will transport them to Kilo Pier and the commemoration site. Seats for the general public on the Navy boats and at the commemoration are limited, and available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The first Navy boat for the general public will depart from the Visitor Center at 5:45 a.m., the last boat will depart at 6:30 a.m. Parking for the general public is available at the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center.
The Pacific Aviation Museum opening will take place following the Navy and National Park Service ceremony. The public is invited to the ceremony featuring guest speakers Chuck Yeager and Wally Schirra. The museum occupies the World War II hangars and control tower on Ford Island that still bear the scars as our nation's first aviation battlefield. The museum is a private nonprofit organization.
For more information, call the Pacific Aviation Museum at 808-690-0169 or visit www.pacificaviationmuseum.org/.
The USS Oklahoma Memorial groundbreaking ceremony will take place on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7 at 12:30 p.m., immediately following the Pacific Aviation Museum's grand opening. The battleship Oklahoma was berthed along Ford Island on Dec. 7, 1941, and suffered the second greatest loss of life during the attack.
For more information, contact the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard community relations manager, (808) 473-8000, ext. 2579.
The first public tour will begin at 10:45 a.m., with the last tour beginning at 2:30 p.m. The program includes a 23-minute movie presentation followed by a visit to the memorial. Ticket distribution will begin at 7:30 a.m. when the Visitor Center opens. For more information, call (808) 422-2771 or visit: www.nps.gov/usar/in dex.htm.
