Governor Dayton Orders Flags Flown at Half-Staff in Honor of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
ST. PAUL, MN – Governor Mark Dayton has proclaimed Thursday, December 7, 2017, as Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in Minnesota, in honor of the 76th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the more than 2,400 Americans who lost their lives in these attacks.
Governor Dayton has ordered 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 attack on Pearl Harbor and those who sacrificed their lives for our liberty and freedom during World War II.
The Governor’s proclamation reads:
WHEREAS: On December 7, 1941, without warning or provocation, the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands was attacked, along with other United States military installations in the Pacific Theater by the Naval Forces of the Japanese Empire; and
WHEREAS: December 7, 2017, marks the 76th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor; and WHEREAS: More than 2,400 Americans, military personnel, and civilians, were killed in these attacks; and
WHEREAS: More than 1,100 suffered injuries, and the bulk of the United States 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: A total of 16,535,000 men and women served in the United States Armed Forces – including 326,000 Minnesotans – during the four, long years of World War 11; and
WHEREAS: It is fitting and proper to remember the sacrifices of all who served in defense of the United States during World War 11, especially those who paid the ultimate price and lost their lives in defense of the liberties that all Americans enjoy.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, MARK DAYTON, Governor of Minnesota, do hereby proclaim Thursday, December 7, 2017, 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.