As the United States prepares to honor its upcoming 250th birthday next year, an American flag is making its way to historic military sites around the world.
After flying over American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries in Europe, the flag has made its way to the Pacific. The so-called America250 flag recently arrived in Pearl Harbor, where it was raised above the USS Arizona Memorial by National Park Service rangers.
According to a Monday media release by Pacific Historic Parks, a nonprofit that partner’s closely with the National Park Service at Pearl Harbor and is dedicated to preserving military history in Hawaii, the flag’s stop in Hawaii “marks the flag’s first U.S. stop before it continues to military sites across the Pacific, then to the continental United States.”
According the news release, when the flag reached the West Coast it will travel across the country and culminate with final flag raisings in the 13 original colonies ahead of July 4, 2026.
This year marks 80 years since the end of World War II, the most destructive conflict in human history. Imperial Japan’s surprise Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and other sites on Oahu drew the U.S. into the war. The attack killed 2,403 Americans, including service members and civilians, and wounded 1,178. The attacking Japanese force suffered 129 killed and one captured.
But the “day that will live in infamy” is quickly fading from living memory.
About 30 survivors of the attack attended the 80th anniversary commemoration in 2021, but last year only two were able to attend. Sterling Cale, the last known survivor living in Hawaii, died in January 2024 at age 102 and was buried at the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe. Lou Conter, the last surviving crew member of the USS Arizona, also died at age 102 at his home in California in April 2024.
“As we look toward America’s 250th anniversary, the flag’s visit to Pearl Harbor reminds us of the courage, unity, and resilience that define our nation,” said Aileen Utterdyke, President and CEO of Pacific Historic Parks. “This is where our country’s history was forever changed on December 7, 1941, and where generations continue to come to reflect, remember and honor those who served.”
Source: The Garden Island
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