PUBLIC INVITED TO SHORESIDE VIEWING OF THE BLACKENED CANTEEN CEREMONY AT PEARL HARBOR

HONOLULU (December 2, 2025) – As part of the 84th-anniversary commemoration of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Pacific Historic Parks invites the public to a shoreside livestream of the Blackened Canteen Ceremony on Monday, December 8, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. HST. The reconciliation service will take place aboard the USS Arizona Memorial and is by invitation only; the public may gather at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial lawn to watch a live video feed along the shoreline. A recording of the ceremony will be posted online the following day at www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNcbeL4Cugk.

“Each year, the Blackened Canteen Ceremony calls us to remember every life lost in World War II and to choose the hard work of reconciliation,” said Aileen Utterdyke, President and CEO of Pacific Historic Parks. “We invite our community to gather along the shoreline, reflect together, and honor this tradition of healing at Pearl Harbor.”

The ceremony traces its origins to Shizuoka, Japan, where two U.S. Army Air Force B-29s crashed during a 1945 bombing raid. In the aftermath, a local farmer recovered a canteen from the wreckage and began an annual act of reconciliation, offering a silent prayer and pouring bourbon from the canteen in memory of the fallen on all sides. Dr. Hiroya Sugano, the current bearer of the canteen, continues this tradition each year in Japan and at Pearl Harbor to honor the dead and promote healing.

For the full schedule of anniversary events and additional information, visit PearlHarborEvents.com.

Pacific Historic Parks

Pacific Historic Parks (PHP) partners with the National Park Service to offer the only complimentary day-of, in-person Navy operated shuttle boat tickets to the USS Arizona Memorial. As the official 501(c)(3) non-profit partner of the Pearl Harbor National Memorial—home of the USS Arizona—Pacific Historic Parks helps preserve Pearl Harbor’s history through education, interpretive programs, research, preservation and restoration. Every year on the anniversary of December 7th, 1941, PHP works closely with the National Park Service and US Navy to honor the legacy of all WWII veterans, and commemorate the sacrifices made by our nation’s Greatest Generation during one of the most pivotal events in American history.

Pacific Historic Parks operates the official USS Arizona Memorial Narrated Tour Desk, where visitors can join the free shuttle boat standby queue and purchase the only self-guided audio tours available of the Memorial grounds, Museums and USS Arizona. Visitors can grasp the magnitude of the Day of Infamy through four separate virtual reality experiences offered by PHP, and peruse books, apparel and memorabilia in the Museum Store. Pacific Historic Parks is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, call toll-free at 1-866-332-1941 or visit www.pacifichistoricparks.org.