Wednesday, December 8, 12 p.m. via Zoom
Register here! This is an online program. Please enter your email correctly when registering. An email containing the Zoom link will be sent to all registrants an hour and a half before the program begins.
Speaker: Matthew Peek, Military Collection Archivist, State Archives of North Carolina
December 7, 2021, marks the 80th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (Oahu Island, Hawaii), the event that drew the United States into World War II. North Carolinians were already serving in the nation’s military, and several of them were present for the historic attack. Peek will share some of their stories, as well as talk about the reaction to the military assault back home. The morning after the attack, young men—some too young for military service—had lined up outside recruitment stations. Across the state, citizens of all backgrounds and ages banded together to support the war effort. Using primary sources from the State Archives collection, Peek will provide insights into how the events from eight decades ago continue to touch the lives of so many North Carolinians.
Image: Original US Office of War Information propaganda poster no. 14, published in 1942, quoting a line from President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address in declaring that the Pearl Harbor attack would be remembered and avenged. Courtesy WWII Posters Collection, Military Collection, State Archives of North Carolina