Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2024: When is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2024 & 2025?

Below you can find dates of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2024 and Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2025. In the table you can check how many days you have been on holiday, which week is the holiday and which day of the month.

When is ..? Date Day of the week Week Number Day left
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2024 December 07, 2024 Saturday 49 264
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2025 December 07, 2025 Sunday 49 629
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2026 December 07, 2026 Monday 50 994
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2027 December 07, 2027 Tuesday 49 1359
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2028 December 07, 2028 Thursday 49 1725
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2029 December 07, 2029 Friday 49 2090
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2030 December 07, 2030 Saturday 49 2455
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2031 December 07, 2031 Sunday 49 2820
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2032 December 07, 2032 Tuesday 50 3186
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2033 December 07, 2033 Wednesday 49 3551
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2034 December 07, 2034 Thursday 49 3916

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, also referred to as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day or Pearl Harbor Day, is observed annually in the United States on December 7, to remember and honor the 2,403 citizens of the United States who were killed in the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941. The Attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack on the United States naval base on Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii. It was launched on the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941 (Hawaii time) by the Empire of Japan's Carrier Striking Task Force against the U.S. Pacific Fleet and other US armed forces stationed at the harbor and also on the other side of Oahu. The attack spurred the U.S. into entering World War II on the following day and officially started the Pacific War. 

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Background

Pearl Harbor is a U.S. naval base situated on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. On December 7th, 1941, at approximately 7:55 a.m., the United States was launched into World War 2 (WW2) when aircraft from the Imperial Japanese Navy struck American ships and military installations. Franklin D. Roosevelt, serving as the 32nd President, declared war against the Axis powers in what became his most renowned speech. Tensions had long been building between Japan and the U.S.  Japan had launched other attacks against U.S. forces elsewhere in the South Pacific (the Philippines, Guam, Wake Island, Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong), but none so close as Pearl Harbor, which was just 2,471 miles from California. After the U.S.’s failed efforts to negotiate a withdrawal of Japanese military from China and Inodochina, Japan proceeded to launch a surprise assault. The U.S. Navy was completely caught off guard, and therefore the fleet of ships that were bottled up in Battleship Row had no time to disperse out to sea. The damage was staggering. The surprise attack was led by 353 fighter planes and bombers, launched from 6 Japanese aircraft carriers. Battleship Row housed 8 battleships (USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, USS West Virginia, USS California, USS Nevada, USS Pennsylvania, USS Tennessee and USS Maryland), and other vessels, cruisers, and destroyers. U.S. fighter aircraft were launched in a counter move, but to no avail. Ships were bottled up in the harbor; some sank, entombing crew members alive in the hull. In total, 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed, 2,335 officers and enlisted men of the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corp were killed, and 1,178 people were wounded. The Japanese forces lost 29 aircraft in the offensive and suffered 64 casualties.

The following day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the nation, calling it “a day that would live in infamy,” and declared war on Japan. As the U.S. took action, Nazi German and Italy declared war on the U.S. to which the U.S. responded.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Celebrations

  • For the observations of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, organizations across the country honor the memory of Pearl Harbor with tributes; survivors are sharing their stories and joining in reunions.
  • The U.S. flag, at the order of the President, should be displayed on homes, the White House and federal government buildings. It should be flown at half-staff.
  • The day is not considered a federal holiday. Government offices, schools and businesses do not close. However, some organizations hold special events.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Customs and Traditions

  • In 1991, marking the 50th anniversary of the attack, Congress established the Pearl Harbor Commemorative Medal. It can be awarded to any veteran who was present during the attack. It can also be awarded to civilians who were killed or injured in the attack.
  • A ceremony and youth symposium are being held this morning at Pearl Harbor, followed by a parade this evening.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Facts

  • In 1962, the USS Arizona Memorial was built in honor of the 102 sailors and marines who died on the USS Arizona during the attack.
  • In 1972, a memorial on the northwest shore of Ford Island was built to honor the crew of USS Utah.
  • By 1989, it was declared one of the National Historic Landmarks by the National Register of Historic Places. Furthermore, the USS Oklahoma Memorial, USS Missouri Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park and Pacific Aviation Museum were also established.
  • On November 5, 1990, the Pearl Harbor Commemorative Medal was released. In commemoration of the 50th year anniversary of the attack, US Armed Forces veterans and civilians who served during the attack were all eligible for medals.
  • On August 23, 1994, the United States Congress named December 7 of each year as the National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
  • The Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is not a federal holiday however organizations and civilians may hold events honoring those who were killed and injured during the attack.
  • On the day of remembrance, all American flags should be displayed on all American homes and government offices at half-mast.
  • Special services such as wreath laying ceremonies, keynote speeches, luncheons and school activities are held.
  • A number of movies were inspired by the attack on Pearl Harbor such as Pearl Harbor (2001), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Empire of the Sun (1987), The Longest Day (1962) and the Pianist (2002).
  • Most of the battleships sunk that day were resurrected. Of the eight battleships targeted during the attacks, all but two were eventually repaired and returned to the U.S. Navy’s fleet. The USS West Virginia and the USS California had both sunk completely, but the Navy raised them, repaired them and reused them.
  • The USS Arizona still leaks fuel. The day before the attacks, the USS Arizona took on a full load of fuel, nearly 1.5 million gallons. Much of that fuel helped ignite the explosion and subsequent fires that destroyed the ship, but some fuel continues to seep out of the wreckage. According to the History Channel, the Arizona “continues to spill up to 9 quarts of oil into the harbor each day” and visitors say it is as if the ship were still bleeding.
  • While most people think that the Japanese were responsible for the attacks on Pearl Harbor, not everyone realizes that the Japanese now visit the memorial in droves. Japan, now one of America’s strongest allies, is the largest source of international tourists to the state of Hawaii. Japanese visitors pay their respects at Pearl Harbor just as Americans do; and the state’s economic vitality today depends largely on tourism from Japan.
  • There’s a huge oil plume beneath the harbor. An estimated 5 million gallons of spilled fuel — or nearly half the volume of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska — has been collecting in a large underground plume beneath Pearl Harbor for decades. Though the plume, which lies beneath the main gate of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, is approximately 20 acres, or 15 football fields, in size, the Navy maintains that it is currently stable and not a threat to drinking water.
  • During the attack, the Nevada left its berth in Battleship Row and tried to make it to the harbor entrance. After being repeatedly attacked on its way, the Nevada beached itself.
  • To aid their airplanes, the Japanese sent in five midget subs to help target the battleships. The Americans sunk four of the midget subs and captured the fifth.
  • 11 other ships were sunk and 188 planes destroyed
  • 2,343 men were killed, 1,272 were wounded and 960 left missing
  • A total of 2,335 U.S. servicemen were killed and 1,143 were wounded. Sixty-eight civilians were also killed and 35 were wounded.
  • All eight U.S. battleships were either sunk or damaged during the attack. Amazingly, all but two (the Arizona and the Oklahoma) were eventually able to return to active duty.
  • The Japanese lost 65 men, with an additional soldier being captured.
  • Only 28 Japanese planes were shot down and 5 midget submarines sunk
  • The United States declared war on Japan the next day as FDR gave his famous “Day of Infamy” speech to Congress.
  • President Franklin D. Roosevelt made a last-minute edit to his speech, changing “a day that will live on in world history” to “a day that will live in infamy”
  • The U.S. declared war on Germany and Italy on December 11, after they declared war on the U.S.
  • The dropping of atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki helped bring an end to World War II in 1945
  • There was a floating National Monument erected on the hull of the sunken Arizona in 1962
  • “Remember Pearl Harbor!” became a rallying cry for the U.S. during World War II.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Symbols

Though the damage was unprecedented, there were notable heroes: 

  • Doris “Dorie” Miller (U.S. Navy Messman Third Class)
  • Samuel Fuqua (Rear Admiral)
  • Peter Tomich (U.S. Navy Chief Wartender)
  • George Welch (U.S. Army Fighter Corp Pilot) & Kenneth Taylor (U.S. Army Corp Second Lieutenant Pilot)
  • John Finn (U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer)
  • George Walters (Civilian dockyard worker)
  • Edwin Hill (U.S. Navy Sailor)
  • Phil Rasmussen (U.S. Army Air Corp Second Lieutenant)

Check out the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in the following years.