Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday that all flags on state government properties will be flown at half-mast in honor of the lives lost during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
“On Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, I join with all New Yorkers to pause in observance of the 72nd anniversary of the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor and remember those we lost,” Cuomo said in a statement.
More than 2,400 Americans were killed during that attack, including 40 people from New York.
“[The attack on Pearl Harbor] changed the course of our nation's history and propelled the United States into World War II. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I offer my thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of those we lost at Pearl Harbor and thank the service members who continue to protect this country," Cuomo said.
The governor was not alone in honoring Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. The American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale also held a ceremony to honor three veterans. The ceremony concluded with a plane taking off from Republic Airport in Farmingdale and dropping 72 roses above the Statue of Liberty – one rose for every year since the attack.
A ceremony was also held at Pearl Harbor on Saturday morning. A crowd of about 2,500 gathered at the base in Hawaii, and observed a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m. – the minute that the bombs began to drop 72 years ago. About 50 survivors of the attack were in attendance.
Following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. immediately declared war on Japan, launching the nation into World War II. The U.S. would play a vital role in helping the Allied Powers win the war.
Almost 1.7 million New Yorkers would serve in the military during World War II– more than any other state in the U.S.
[Source: Governor Andrew Cuomo]
