Pearl Harbor Day Pictures
U.S. Marines await the possible return of Japanese aircraft on the parade ground at the Pearl Harbor Marine Barracks, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941. Naval History and Heritage Command/Handout via Reuters

Seventy-six years after Pearl Harbor was bombed on Dec. 7, 1941, the United States will remember the tragic day with a ceremony for the lives lost after the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Hawaii, claiming more than 2,400 American lives. The event is commemorated annually on Dec. 7, with speeches, live events and a parade that takes place every year in Hawaii.

This year, the National Park Service and the U.S. Navy will co-host the 76th anniversary at the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument’s Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, 1 Arizona Memorial Place. The event will be live streamed on pearlharborevents.com. The live stream can also be viewed on YouTube and Facebook.

The ceremony will begin at 7:50 a.m. HST (12:50 p.m. EST) with Pearl Harbor survivors, WWII veterans, family members, and local dignitaries attending the event. This year's keynote speaker is Pulitzer Prize winner Steve Twomey, the author of Countdown to Pearl Harbor. A moment of silence will be observed at 7:55 a.m., the exact moment the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor began.

"The public is invited to attend the commemoration. Parking for the general public will be available at Aloha Stadium with free bus shuttles provided from the Aloha Stadium to the ceremony and back. More information will be provided when available. Due to strict security measures guests are not allowed to bring handbags, purses, camera bags or other items that offer concealment to the ceremony. Personal cameras are allowed," the official website said.

The official website for the commemoration day gave out the full schedule of the ceremonies to be held Thursday.

  • National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Commemoration: 7:50 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. at Pearl Harbor Visitor Center Lawn
  • 76th Remembrance Ceremony: 7:45 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. at Barbers Point Golf Course (Private event)
  • Attack on Hickam Field Ceremony and Reception: 7:50 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at Atterbury Circle, Hickam AFB (Private event)
  • Remembrance Ceremony: 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Marine Corps Base Hawaii (Private event)
  • Floral Tributes: 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at USS Arizona Memorial (Private event)
  • Freedom Bell Opening Ceremony and Bell Ringing: Noon to 5 p.m. at USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park (Free and open to public)
  • USS Oklahoma Memorial Ceremony: 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at USS Oklahoma Memorial, Ford Island (Free and open to public)
  • Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade and Public Ceremony: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki (Free and open to public)
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