Flags at half-staff on December 7, 2019

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day occurs on December 7 of each year, Pearl Harbor Remembrancedesignated in memory of the lives lost in the 1941 attack and to remember that we enjoy freedom thanks to their sacrifice. The attack claimed the lives of 2,334 servicemen and servicewomen and wounded another 1,143.

On Pearl Harbor Day, the American flag should be flown at half-staff from sunrise until sunset to honor those who died as a result of the attack on U.S. military forces in Hawaii.

Governor Walz Orders Flags Flown at Half-Staff in Honor of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Governor Tim Walz has proclaimed Saturday, December 7, 2019, as Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in Minnesota, in honor of the 78th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the more than 2,400 Americans who lost their lives in these attacks.

Governor Walz has ordered all U.S. flags and Minnesota flags to be flown at half-staff at all state and federal buildings in the State of Minnesota, from sunrise until sunset on Saturday, December 7, 2019, in honor and remembrance of those who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor and those who sacrificed their lives for our liberty and freedom during World War II.

The Governor’s proclamation reads as follows:

WHEREAS: On December 7, 1941, the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands was attacked, along with other U.S. military installations in the Pacific Theater, without warning or provocation by the Naval Forces of theJapanese Empire; and

WHEREAS: December 7, 2019 marks the 78th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor; and

WHEREAS: More than 2,400 Americans, both military personnel and civilians, were killed in these attacks, more than1,100 suffered injuries, and the bulk of the U.S. fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor was severely damaged or destroyed; and

WHEREAS: On that fateful December day, eighty-four Naval Reservists from the State of Minnesota were serving on active duty at Pearl Harbor when the first shot was fired in defense of the United States, sinking a Japanese submarine attempting to infiltrate the harbor defenses prior to the attack; and

WHEREAS: Over 16 million men and women served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the four long years of World War II; and

WHEREAS: It is fitting and proper to remember the sacrifices of all who served in defense of our nation during World War II, especially those who paid the ultimate price and lost their lives in defense of the liberties that all Americans enjoy.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, TIM WALZ, Governor of Minnesota, do hereby proclaim Saturday, December 7, 2019 as: PEARL HARBOR REMEMBRANCE DAY in the State of Minnesota, and hereby order all U.S. flags and Minnesota flags be flown at half-staff at all state and federal buildings in the State of Minnesota, from sunrise until sunset on Thursday, December 7, 2017, in honor and remembrance of those who died during the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and those who sacrificed their lives for our liberty and freedom during World War II.