Has the ‘date which will live in infamy’ been forgotten?

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

"Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." – President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

This December 7th marks the 70th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, "a date which will live in infamy." But has it already been forgotten?

I was searching the University of Arizona web site for events commemorating the 70th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor; traditionally the University of Arizona, which houses a USS Arizona exhibit in the Student Union Memorial Center and the ship's bell in the bell tower, hosts a Pearl Harbor Day commemoration. But the calendar of events for December 7 UANews.org does not list any events commemorating Pearl Harbor Day.

The student newspaper the Arizona Daily Wildcat previously reported on the dedication of a sculpture to take place on December 7. Student Union statues memorialize UA veterans:

Three war sculptures by James Muir are displayed in the Rotunda Gallery of the Student Union Memorial Center. A dedication ceremony for “Some Gave All” and “Band of Brothers” took place on Memorial Day and the most recent “Shield of America” was installed on Veterans Day. The dedication ceremony will be on Dec. 7, the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

So maybe there is a Pearl Harbor Day commemoration planned. Our local media certainly hasn't reported anything. If anyone has more information, please post it in the comments.

Phoenix will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7 with a city-sponsored mile walk from City Hall to the state Capitol. Pearl Harbor to be honored with walk. Veterans organizations are meeting at Wesley Bolin Plaza at the Capitol for a remembrance sponsored by the Arizona State Library. Speakers begin at Noon. The event is free.

"Seventy years after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, scholars of history say the event shaped the lives of many who lived through it, long after the Dec. 7, 1941, date that lived in infamy. But that influence may be waning with younger generations." Historians find Pearl Harbor fading from younger generations' memories:

“There are several seminal events that, at least in terms of perception, change the way the population and the people think about issues,” Wilson said. Pearl Harbor, he said, was one of a relatively few of those moments.

Hal Wert was a graduate student teaching assistant for Wilson’s class and has since gone on to his own career as a World War II historian. He currently teaches history at the Kansas City Art Institute and serves as an adjunct faculty member at KU in its international studies program.

He’s noticed that the attack is slipping from the minds of his students more and more.

“If you ask me what it means to my students, it’s nothing,” he said. “The war in Vietnam is ancient history.”

This is nothing new, though, Wert said. History has a natural tendency to fade. And with more and more members of the World War II generation dying each day, Pearl Harbor will likely continue to slip from the national consciousness, he said.

The GREATEST GENERATIONS FOUNDATION press release says:

The 70th anniversary of the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor is expected to be the largest and final commemoration involving living Pearl Harbor Survivors, due to the advancing age of the veterans.

The Pearl Harbor Survivors will visit the USS Arizona Memorial as well as the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific to pay tribute to those who perished in the Japanese attacks. Each Pearl Harbor Survivor will visit the exact location where they were stationed at the time of the attack. Accompanying the veterans are military personnel from Schofield Army Barracks, Hickam Air Force Base, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, and Navy Pacific Command who will document, preserve and pass along each veteran’s story.

* * *

The Pearl Harbor Survivors will return to Pearl Harbor through TGGF’s Battlefield Remembrance program which provides veterans with journeys to former battle sites to give them the opportunity for healing and closure and an avenue to educate younger generations about service and sacrifice. As a symbol of gratitude, the programs are conducted at no cost to the veterans. TGGF’s mission is to preserve each veteran’s story of his or her heroic involvement in WWII, guaranteeing that their legacies are never forgotten.

Anniversary events are, of course, planned in Hawaii:

In Hawaii, the National Park Service and Navy Region Hawaii will host the 70th Anniversary Pearl Harbor Day Commemoration at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. The venue looks directly out on the USS Arizona Memorial. Pearl Harbor Survivors and World War II Veterans will join more than 3,000 distinguished guests and the general public for the annual observance of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

Ceremony highlights include military band music, morning colors, a traditional Hawaiian blessing, a rifle salute by members of the armed services, wreath presentations, echo taps, and recognition of the men and women who survived that December 7th, and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. At 7:55 a.m., the exact moment the Japanese attack began 70 years ago, a moment of silence will be observed. A U.S. Navy ship will render honors to the USS Arizona followed by a "missing man" formation flight over the Memorial.

Also, the Battleship Missouri Memorial will host a mass band performance featuring more than 650 performers from a dozen high school, college and community bands jointly performing patriotic favorites, all under the direction of Pearl Harbor survivor Allen Bodenlos. Pearl Harbor Survivor to Direct ‘Mass Band Performance’ on 70th Anniversary – Hawaii Free Press:

The 70th Anniversary Pearl Harbor Mass Band performance will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 7, from noon to 12:45 p.m., pierside at the Missouri. Located a ship’s length from the USS Arizona Memorial, the Battleship Missouri Memorial completes a historical visitor experience that begins in Pearl Harbor on the “date that will live in infamy” and ends on the USS Missouri (BB-63) on Sept. 2, 1945, with the formal WWII surrender.

The event will be webcast live at www.channel808.tv

* * *

The idea for the mass performance originated with a casual remark by Bodenlos about how powerful student performances are in the context of Pearl Harbor. The area is home to several historic sites — including the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Oklahoma Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor, and Battleship Missouri Memorial — while remaining an active military base, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

The Battleship Missouri Memorial regularly hosts band performances, but the mass performance on Dec. 7 will be unique because of the number of bands involved. The current list of participating bands includes:

• Acadiana High School Band from Lafayette, Louisiana
• Downriver Community Band from Wyandotte, Michigan
• Lakeview Centennial High School Band from Garland, Texas
• Lathrop High School Band from Fairbanks, Alaska
• Kilgore College Rangerettes from Kilgore, Texas
• New Philadelphia High School Marching Quaker Band from New Philadelphia, Ohio
• North Vermillion High School Band from Maurice, Louisiana
• Payson Longhorn Marching Band from Pine, Arizona
• Pride of Erath High School Band from Erath, Louisiana
• Ripley Junior Senior High School Band from Ripley, Oklahoma
• Riverview High School Band from Sarasota, Florida
• Sussex Technical High School Band from Georgetown, Delaware

“Sharing the legacy of our veterans with younger generations is part of our mission at the Battleship Missouri Memorial,” said Michael A. Carr, the memorial’s president and chief operating officer. “It is therefore our pleasure to welcome these fine bands from across the United States as they perform in honor of Pearl Harbor veterans in the presence of the USS Arizona Memorial and Battleship Missouri Memorial, symbolic bookends that represent America’s role in World War II, from tragedy to victory.”

For my father and uncles, all of whom served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as a result of Pearl Harbor, I have not forgotten and I will remember your service.

UPDATE: See Arizona Capitol Museum to commemorate Pearl Harbor anniversary – East Valley Tribune:

The landmark anniversary of the attack that triggered the United States' involvement in World War II will be marked in Arizona with a program hosted by the Secretary of State's Office at the Arizona Capitol Museum, 1700 W. Washington St., Phoenix. "Reflections of Pearl Harbor" will feature speeches and numerous veterans organizations.

Beginning at 10:30 a.m. , the commemoration will start as the Pearl Harbor memorial flag arrives at the state capitol's rotunda with honor guard which will be "piped" by a Navy Boatswain's call.

The flag ceremony will be followed by the Pearl Harbor remembrance at Wesley Bolin Plaza at 10:55 a.m., the time of the attack in Hawaii.

State Historian Marshall Trimble will be the keynote speaker for Wednesday's event and numerous other veterans groups will participate in the commemoration.

Never-seen before artifacts from Pearl Harbor and the Valley's veterans who served during the attack also will be on display at the Arizona Capitol Museum.