Governor Lamont Directs Flags To Half-Staff Sunday for National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is directing U.S. and Connecticut flags lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Sunday, December 7, 2025, in recognition of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. The observance honors the more than 2,400 American service members and civilians killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

In accordance with the directive, flags will be at half-staff on the Connecticut State Capitol building and all other state-operated buildings, grounds, and facilities statewide. Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, and any other private entities and government subdivisions are encouraged to lower their flags for this same duration of time. Since no flag should fly higher than the U.S. flag, all other flags, including state, municipal, corporate, or otherwise, should also be lowered.

Additionally, Governor Lamont announced that the state will illuminate the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge in New Haven - informally known by many residents as the Q Bridge - in red, white, and blue lights on the evenings of Saturday, December 6, and Sunday, December 7, in recognition of the anniversary. The bridge carries Interstate 95 over the Quinnipiac River and is named in honor of those who served during the attack. It is maintained by the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

"We are forever grateful for the military heroes who fought on behalf of our country during the battle at Pearl Harbor and throughout World War II," Governor Lamont said. "The attack on Pearl Harbor is one of the darkest moments in our nation's history, and we honor the thousands of service members and civilians who were killed on that tragic day. I urge all Connecticut residents to reflect on the sacrifices made by the Greatest Generation during World War II and everything they have provided to the United States."

There are 18 service members from Connecticut who were among those killed in the attack. Their names are engraved on a stone memorial located at the base of the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge near the intersection of East Street and Forbes Avenue. They include:

• Eric Allen of Darien (Navy, lieutenant junior grade, USS Enterprise)
• Henry Ludwig Carlson of Norwich (Navy, storekeeper 3c, USS Arizona)
• Edward W. Gosselin of Hamden (Naval Reserve, ensign, USS Arizona)
• Vincent M. Horan of Stamford (Army Air Force, corporal, Wheeler Field)
• Henry John Lanquette of Wallingford (Navy, coxswain, USS Arizona)
• John Kallervo Luntta of Collinsville (Navy, seaman 1c, USS Nevada)
• W.T. O'Neill Jr. of Glenbrook (Naval Reserve, ensign, USS Arizona)
• Stanislaus Joseph Orzech of Meriden (Navy, seaman 2c, USS Arizona)
• Richard Patterson Jr. of Berlin (Navy, shipfitter 3c, USS Arizona)
• Stephen Pepe of Bridgeport (U.S. Navy Water Tender 1st Class, USS Oklahoma)
• George Povesko of Bridgeport (Navy, seaman 1c, USS Arizona)
• Mike George Quarto of Norwich (Navy, seaman 1c, USS Arizona)
• Thomas James Reeves of Thomaston (Navy, chief radioman, USS California)
• William Eugene Seeley of New London (Navy, seaman 1c, USS Arizona)
• George Smith of New Haven (Army Air Force, private, Hickam Field)
• Gordon H. Sterling Jr. of Hartford (Army Air Force, 2nd lieutenant, Wheeler Field)
• Felix S. Wegrzyn of Bridgeport (Army Air Force, private, Hickam Field)
• Ulmont Irving Whitehead Jr. of Hartford (Navy, ensign, USS Arizona)

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