News From the Department
Pearl Harbor Attack Subject Of State Capitol Program
Contact:
For more information
contact Diana Mauney at 919-733-4994 or
Mary Cook at 919-733-7862.
RALEIGH (November 17, 2006)—The stunning Dec. 7, 1941 attack by the Japanese on the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor will be recalled Saturday, Nov. 25 at a State Capitol program entitled “Pearl Harbor Attack: The Day of Infamy: Remembered.” Featuring keynote speaker J. Michael Wenger and several Pacific Theater veterans, this lecture and panelists’ presentation will take place from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in both the State Capitol itself and the N.C. Museum of History auditorium. The program is free and open to the public.
The unprovoked air assault caused America to declare war against imperial Japan and catapulted the nation into World War II. Several days later the conflict widened to two fronts when the Axis powers of Germany and Italy declared war on the U.S. Seen as one of the great defining moments in history, the Pearl Harbor raid left 2,403 American servicemen and 68 civilians dead, five of eight battleships destroyed and 188 aircraft left in a pile of twisted, burning scrap metal.
The Capitol’s Pearl Harbor program will begin with 10:30 a.m. lecture in the N.C. Museum of History auditorium by Wenger, which he will repeat at 12:30 p.m. Meanwhile, in the Capitol’s second floor house chamber, attendees may attend morning or afternoon question and answer sessions with a panel of World War II veterans. George Cattelona ( Iwo Jima), Levin Beasley (B-17 Bomber waist gunner) and Arnold Aiken (Navy Landing Craft Infantry, South Pacific) will discuss their experiences and field questions from the audience. Military displays will beexhibited on the first and second floor of the Capitol rotunda. Admittance to each question and answer session is by reservation only. Call 919-733-4994 to reserve a place.
J. Michael Wenger graduated from Atlantic Christian College in 1972 and earned a master’s degree from Duke University in 1973. He is the co-author of “ The Way It Was: Pearl Harbor — The Original Photographs and Infamous Day- Marines at Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941.” Publication credits include the News and Observer and Naval Aviation News He is at work writing a comprehensive book on Pearl Harbor. A free-lance military historian, Wenger has taught in Raleigh.
A National Historic Landmark, the N.C. State Capitol is one of the finest and best-preserved examples of the Greek Revival style of architecture in the U.S. It features a domed rotunda and state senate and house chambers, meticulously restored to their 1840 appearance. Until 1888, its granite walls housed all of North Carolina state government and the legislature met there until 1961. The governor and his staff still occupy offices in the Capitol.
The State Capitol is located in downtown Raleigh and bounded by Edenton, Salisbury, Morgan, and Wilmington Streets. At 5 East Edenton Street, the N.C. Museum of History lies between the Capitol and the Legislative Building. Free parking is available in state lots near the Capitol. For information and to register for this program, call 919-733-4994.
Administered by the Division of State Historic Sites, the State Capitol is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. For more information about the Department of Cultural Resources visit www.ncculture.com.
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