Pearl Harbor 80th Anniversary Commemoration

2021 marks the 80th year since the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.  Join us on December 4th as we commemorate this momentous day in American history.  We are proud to present stories of three men, all with Colorado Springs connections, who were at Pearl Harbor the day of the attack by the Empire of Japan.

We are pleased to feature three speakers this day:

• Bill Thomas, photo archivist and former Army Officer, will speak on Colorado Springs native Petty Officer First Class Daniel T. Griffin, the first Coloradan and possibly the first American killed in the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor:

Petty Officer First Class Daniel T. Griffin, [was] the first Coloradan and possibly the first American killed in the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that precipitated America’s involvement in World War II. Griffin, a graduate of Colorado Springs High School (now Palmer High School) and former Gazette employee, was shot down from a plane as he attempted to defend the Hawaii naval base from the initial attack. He was posthumously cited for his bravery and the USS Daniel T. Griffin, a destroyer escort, was commissioned in his honor in 1943. -- Colorado Springs Gazette, 12/20/2020, A3:5

• Brett Clark from the Navigators will talk about his friend and associate, Lt. James W. Downing, USN, Pearl Harbor survivor stationed on the USS West Virginia.  Copies of Jim Downing's book will be available for purchase.

• Nikki Stratton, the granddaughter of Gunner's Mate Donald G. Stratton, a survivor of the bombing, explosion, and subsequent sinking of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, will deliver a pre-recorded presentation about her grandfather.  Time and technology permitting, she will join us live afterwards from Honolulu, Hawaii, to answer any questions and to say hello.

Join us in the East Library Community Room from 10:30am - 12pm.