Central Minnesota Museum Honoring Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

LITTLE FALLS (WJON News) -- Thursday is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, and a central Minnesota museum is honoring those who were there during the 1941 attack.

The Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum in Little Falls is hosting a virtual program to honor the 82nd anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing that claimed the lives of over 2,000 United States service members.

The program will highlight Minnesota's contributions during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The gun from the USS Ward can be seen as part of a memorial outside the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul. It was being manned by members of the Minnesota Naval Reserve when it fired the United State's first shot of World War II and sunk a Japanese miniature submarine at the entrance to the harbor.

The Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum is currently under construction in Little Falls and will preserve and share the stories of veterans from across the state's 165-year history. The museum is expected to open in 2026. The virtual Pearl Harbor Day program starts at 7:00 p.m.