REMEMBERING PEARL HARBOR
WHEREAS, on the morning of December 7, 1941, the Armed Forces of the United States of America stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii were attacked without warning or provocation by the air and naval forces of Imperial Japan;
WHEREAS, the attack claimed the lives 2,335 servicemen and servicewomen and another 1,143 servicemen and servicewomen were wounded;
WHEREAS, the attack galvanized our Nation, including the State of Michigan, and Americans responded with strength and resolve, demonstrating the spirit and courage that carried the United States to victory in World War II;
WHEREAS, it is appropriate to remember the supreme sacrifice given by those at Pearl Harbor and in later battles during World War II, a sacrifice not for conquest, but for the defense of freedom;
WHEREAS, we must, as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt implored the Nation on the day after the attack, always remember their sacrifice, for “It is our obligation to the dead—it is our sacred obligation to their children?that we must never forget what we have learned”;
WHEREAS, because we have not forgotten, and will not, we remember Pearl Harbor with solemn ceremony, honor the lives lost in the attack, and salute the veterans of World War II;
WHEREAS, with the enactment of 2000 PA 157, MCL 435.271, the Michigan Legislature has formally recognized the sacrifice of the servicemen and servicewomen who gave their lives at Pearl Harbor by declaring that December 7th of each year shall be known as Pearl Harbor Day;
WHEREAS, under Public Law 103-308, as amended by Public Law 105-225, 36 USC 129, Congress has urged the President to recognize December 7th as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and to call on all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States Government, and interested organizations, groups, and individuals, to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff each December 7th in honor of the individuals who died as a result of their service at Pearl Harbor;
WHEREAS, it is appropriate that the flag of the United States of America be flown at half-staff throughout the State of Michigan on December 7th of each year to mark Pearl Harbor Day;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Jennifer M. Granholm, Governor of the State of Michigan, by virtue of the power and authority vested in me by the Michigan Constitution of 1963, the laws of the State of Michigan, and the laws of the United States of America, order and proclaim:
A. On Pearl Harbor Day, Wednesday, December 7, 2005, and each subsequent December 7th, the flag of the United States of America shall be flown at half-staff at all state buildings and facilities throughout the State of Michigan.
B. All other interested organizations, groups, and individuals, in Michigan are also called upon to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff on Wednesday, December 7, 2005, and each subsequent December 7th.
C. When flown at half-staff on Pearl Harbor Day, the flag of the United States should be hoisted first to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position, where it should be flown until sunset, then raised to the top of the staff.
D. All individuals, governmental and educational institutions, and community organizations are encouraged to pause each Pearl Harbor Day and reflect upon the courage and sacrifice of those who died or were injured in that infamous attack.
This order is effective upon filing.
Given under my hand and the Great Seal of the State of Michigan this 5th day of December, in the year of our Lord, two thousand and five.
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JENNIFER M. GRANHOLM
GOVERNOR
BY THE GOVERNOR:
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SECRETARY OF STATE
