No local observances planned for 73rd anniversary of Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

The “date which will live in infamy” is becoming less remembered locally with the passing years.

There is no official Wichita observation this year of the 73rd anniversary of Dec. 7, 1941, when Japanese planes bombed and strafed Pearl Harbor, according to Jim Denison, an honorary member of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.

The Wichita chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association disbanded in 2011, after a 70th anniversary memorial, when its membership dwindled to a few survivors.

For years, the Wichita observation was held Dec. 7 at 10:55 a.m. CST, the exact moment Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. In less than two hours, 2,402 Americans were killed and more than 1,000 were wounded.

The observation used to be held at Veterans Memorial Park along the Arkansas River downtown. Then, it was moved to the Robert J. Dole Veterans Administration Medical Center. An official there said the hospital plans to erect flags on the grounds this weekend in honor of Pearl Harbor.

The slogan from survivors was “Remember Pearl Harbor, Keep America Alert.”

This story was originally published December 6, 2014 at 7:15 AM with the headline "No local observances planned for 73rd anniversary of Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor."