Pearl Harbor 80th Anniversary Commemoration

2021 marks the 80th year since the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Join Pikes Peak Library District 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:
• Brent 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.
• The family of Gunner’s Mate Donald G. Stratton, a survivor of the bombing, explosion, and subsequent sinking of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, will talk with us live from Pearl Harbor via Zoom.