National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 2012 - Historical Half-Staff Archive

Historical notice: this observance has ended. This independent FORTISVEX resource preserves a past presidential proclamation; it is not a government notice.

Remembering Pearl Harbor in 2012

The 2012 proclamation honors those who died at Pearl Harbor and the generation whose service followed the attack. President Obama connects remembrance of December 7, 1941 with the military effort overseas and the work of Americans in factories and shipyards at home.

The text includes a passage from President Franklin D. Roosevelt's address to Congress and returns to the human meaning of remembrance: the people who died, their loved ones, and the legacy carried by later service members. The complete quotation below preserves that historical voice separately from this article's explanation.

How the flag instruction fits the observance

The proclamation identifies Public Law 103–308, as amended, as the congressional designation of December 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. It proclaims the 2012 observance and urges federal agencies, interested organizations, groups, and individuals to fly the United States flag at half-staff that December 7.

The formal document was signed on December 6. Its publication in the Federal Register on December 11 occurred after the observance; that later publication did not move the flag tribute to December 11. The text does not give a numerical starting hour or establish a multi-day period.

This entry preserves the specific 2012 proclamation. It is a historical resource, not a newly issued flag notice, and the complete document remains available below for readers who want the exact wording.

Full official proclamation text

Proclamation 8914 of December 6, 2012 — National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 2012
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

On December 7, 1941, our Nation suffered one of the most devastating attacks ever to befall the American people. In less than 2 hours, the bombs that rained on Pearl Harbor robbed thousands of men, women, and children of their lives; in little more than a day, our country was thrust into the greatest conflict the world had ever known. We mark this anniversary by honoring the patriots who perished more than seven decades ago, extending our thoughts and prayers to the loved ones they left behind, and showing our gratitude to a generation of service members who carried our Nation through some of the 20th century’s darkest moments.

In his address to the Congress, President Franklin D. Roosevelt affirmed that ‘‘with confidence in our Armed Forces—with the unbounding determination of our people—we will gain the inevitable triumph.’’ Millions stood up and shipped out to meet that call to service, fighting heroically on Europe’s distant shores and pressing island by island across the Pacific. Millions more carried out the fight in factories and shipyards here at home, building the arsenal of democracy that propelled America to the victory President Roosevelt foresaw. On every front, we faced down impossible odds—and out of the ashes of conflict, America rose more prepared than ever to meet the challenges of the day, sure that there was no trial we could not overcome.

Today, we pay solemn tribute to America’s sons and daughters who made the ultimate sacrifice at Oahu. As we do, let us also reaffirm that their legacy will always burn bright—whether in the memory of those who knew them, the spirit of service that guides our men and women in uniform today, or the heart of the country they kept strong and free.

The Congress, by Public Law 103–308, as amended, has designated December 7 of each year as ‘‘National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.’’

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim December 7, 2012, as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. I encourage all Americans to observe this solemn day of remembrance and to honor our military, past and present, with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I urge all Federal agencies and interested organizations, groups, and individuals to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff this December 7 in honor of those American patriots who died as a result of their service at Pearl Harbor.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.

BARACK OBAMA

Official federal proclamation text from Federal Register pages 73891–73892. Page headings and line wrapping are omitted for readability; the signature is represented by the name above.

Verify the official documents

Read or download the official proclamation PDF from GovInfo · Read the Federal Register record

Browse related historical notices in the Presidential Half-Staff Archive.

Signature page from the official published proclamation

Select the published signature page to open the complete two-page official PDF.

Preparing a remembrance display

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