Thursday marks 76th anniversary of attack on Pearl Harbor

Among those honored: the 84 Naval Reservists from Minnesota serving on active duty at the time of the Japanese attack and who fired the first U.S. shots.

December 7, 2017 at 4:34AM
FILE--Three U.S. battleships are hit from the air during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in this Dec. 7, 1941 file photo. From left are: USS West Virginia, USS Tennessee, both damaged; and USS Arizona, sunk. The terrorist assualts that occured Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, on the World Trade Center and at the Pentagon reminded many Pearl Harbor survivors of the 1941 Japanese attack on U.S. warships in Hawaii.
FILE--Three U.S. battleships are hit from the air during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in this Dec. 7, 1941 file photo. From left are: USS West Virginia, USS Tennessee, both damaged; and USS Arizona, sunk. (Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Minnesotans are commemorating the 76th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack Thursday.

Gov. Mark Dayton announced in a "Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day" proclamation that Minnesota and U.S. flags should fly at half-staff Thursday from sunrise until sunset at all state and federal buildings to honor the anniversary of the attack that killed more than 2,400 people and injured at least 1,100.

The proclamation honors the 84 Naval Reservists from Minnesota who 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 before the attack." It also honors the 16.5 million people who served in the Armed Forces during World War II, including 326,000 Minnesotans.

Dayton's proclamation said that "it is fitting and proper to remember the sacrifices" 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."

On Thursday, the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and Fort Snelling National Cemetery Memorial Rifle Squad are hosting a free event at 10 a.m. in the auditorium of the Historic Fort Snelling visitor's center at 200 Tower Drive in St. Paul. Bill Lunn, KSTP reporter and author of the book "Heart of a Ranger" will be the keynote speaker. Richard Thill, of St. Paul, who was a Pearl Harbor survivor, will also be present.

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