Overview
- Under a 1994 congressional resolution, U.S. and state flags are to fly at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on December 7 for National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
- Governors issued concurrent directives, including Ohio’s order for public buildings statewide and Connecticut’s lowering of flags alongside a red, white, and blue lighting of New Haven’s Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge.
- This weekend’s observance follows a separate presidential order that lowered flags through December 4 to honor Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, who was killed near the White House on November 26.
- Several states also have distinct half-staff proclamations for recent losses, including tributes in California for Stockton shooting victims, Michigan for former Rep. Fred Durhal Jr., Connecticut for Rep. Kevin Ryan, and West Virginia for two service members.
- Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is not a federal holiday, so schools, government offices, businesses, and transit systems remain open while local commemorations proceed.