Lafayette to host a 82nd Pearl Harbor memorial observance event

Noe Padilla, Lafayette Journal & Courier
Updated ·1 min read

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — At the recent Lafayette Board of Works, the board approved the Marine Corps. League Navy Club and the Marine Corps. League Lafayette’s request to host a Pearl Harbor memorial observance event.

In this Dec. 7, 1941, file photo, smoke rises from the battleship USS Arizona as it sinks during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
In this Dec. 7, 1941, file photo, smoke rises from the battleship USS Arizona as it sinks during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

The Pearl Harbor memorial event will start at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 7, at Riehle Plaza and on the John Myers Bridge in Lafayette.

“We’re doing this to honor the brave men and women who died that day,” Robert Mantle, a member of David M. Shoup Detachment #547 Marine Corps League, said to the board on Nov. 28.

U.S. Navy Sea Cadets, Purdue Navy ROTC and local Veterans will be in attendance to solemnly reflect and respect the lives that were lost on that “day of infamy."

The event will include a three Volley salute by the Honor Guard, and those in attendance will be able to show their respect for the fallen soldiers by throwing carnations into the Wabash River.

On Dec. 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships, and over 300 airplanes.

More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, including civilians. At least 1,000 individuals were wounded.

The attack led to President Roosevelt declaring war on Japan and marked America's entrance into World War II.                                              

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Pearl Harbor memorial event to be held Thursday on John Myers Bridge