Flags to fly at half-staff on Arizona state buildings to honor Pearl Harbor

PHOENIX – Gov. Doug Ducey ordered flags at all Arizona state buildings to fly half-staff Monday in observance of the 79th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Flags will fly half-staff from sunrise to sunset.

“Arizona joins the nation on December 7th to pause and remember the 2,400 American lives lost during the attacks on Pearl Harbor 79 years ago,” Ducey said in a press release.

“On the day that changed our nation forever, American service members displayed unwavering bravery — which was carried on by those who fought to defend our freedom during World War II. We are forever inspired by the perseverance and sacrifice of the Greatest Generation,” Ducey said.

The surprise attack by Japanese forces on the Hawaii naval base in 1941 prompted the United States to enter World War II.

Of the deaths, nearly half – 1,117 – came from the USS Arizona. A 1,760-pound bomb hit the deck but most of the damage occurred when the ship’s ammunition triggered a massive explosion.

The ship burned for more than two days and remains submerged in about 40 feet of water, the National Park Service said. The agency oversees the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.

“As we face our own challenges today, may their bravery serve as a guiding light for us. Thank you to all who continue to support those in need during the pandemic and who defend our nation, and may God bless our country and the families of those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor,” Ducey said.

#PearlHarborDay 79th Anniversary #Flyover of #Arizona State Capitol, National Cemetery #CaveCreek & USS Arizona Memorial Gardens #Scottsdale Mon, 12/7 approx 10:45AM @FalconFieldAZ by #AZCAF’s C47 Skytrain.#PearlHarbor #flypast #phx #az #news @VisitMesa #mesa #Veterans #WWII pic.twitter.com/NrvIAC5ig1

— CAF Airbase Arizona (@AZCAF) December 4, 2020

A World War II-ear C-47 Skytrain will leave from Mesa’s Falcon Field to perform a flyover of the State Capitol, the National Cemetery in Cave Creek and the USS Arizona Memorial Gardens in Scottsdale at around 10:45 a.m. Arizona time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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