Tiny Flags Pay Tribute to 2,390 Who Died in Pearl Harbor Attack

You have until Memorial Day to see a new tribute at iconic Pearl Harbor dedicated to the victims of the Dec. 7, 1941 attack.

May 24, 2019

Robbie Dingeman, Photos by David Croxford,

Photos: David Croxford

Volunteers posted 2,390 flags throughout the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center as part of Memorial Day observances to honor all those—military and civilians—killed as a result of the Pearl Harbor attack.

The volunteers who gathered to place the flags were as diverse as the dead they honored: young and old, longtime residents, members of the military, some in uniform, some not, community organizations that included the Aloha Council of the BSA. Each small flag is tagged with the name of someone who died that day. The flags will remain in place through Memorial Day, Monday, May 27.

The flags wave against the dramatic backdrop of the USS Arizona memorial, which still holds the remains of many of those who died that day and the USS Missouri Pearl Harbor, 77 years later, remains a defining moment that plunged the United States into World War and changed Hawai‘i forever.

SEE ALSO: Civilian stories from Dec. 7, 1941 in “Remember Pearl Harbor: The Day of Infamy That Changed Honolulu Forever”

The public is also invited to other military special events this Memorial Day weekend:

U.S.Pacific Fleet Band performance: Sunday, May 26, 10 to 11 a.m.
Ringing of the USS Arizona bell, a performance by a local high school band, raising the colors over the USS Arizona, and more: Monday, May 27, 9 a.m. to noon
U.S.Marine Corps Forces, Pacific Band performance: Tuesday, May 28, 10 to 11 a.m.

For more information, go to nps.gov/pearlharbor

Flag facts

The federal flag code offers tips for proper flag flying:

The U.S. flag is traditionally flown at half staff to indicate periods of mourning.
There is a special rule for Memorial Day, however. On Memorial Day, the flag should be flown at half staff from sunrise until noon, then raised briskly to the top of the staff until sunset in honor of the nation’s battle heroes.
There is a process for flying a flag at half-staff. First, the flag should be hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to a half-staff position. It should again be raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day. Half-staff is one-half the distance between the top and bottom of the staff.
A flag is flown on a staff on land. If flown on a ship, the correct term is “mast.”