Why Are Flags at Half-Staff This Weekend in Maryland?

American flags across Maryland are flying at half-staff this Sunday to honor the thousands who died 84 years ago in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor — including four crew members aboard a battleship named for the state.

What’s Happening: President Donald Trump ordered all U.S. flags lowered to half-staff on December 7, 2025, for National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Maryland follows this order at all state buildings and grounds from sunrise to sunset.

What’s Important: On December 7, 1941, Japanese military planes launched a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The attack killed 2,403 Americans and destroyed or damaged 21 naval vessels and more than 300 aircraft. The USS Maryland (BB-46), named for the state, was at Pearl Harbor that morning. The battleship suffered two bomb hits but avoided the torpedoes that sank the USS Oklahoma moored beside her. Four Maryland crew members were killed in the attack.

Catch Up Quick: Japan had become a military dictatorship in the 1930s and began invading neighboring countries to take their resources. When the United States tried to stop Japan by cutting off oil supplies, Japan decided to attack the American fleet at Pearl Harbor to keep the U.S. from interfering. The attack pulled America into World War II the very next day.

The Big Picture: The attack on Pearl Harbor marked America’s entry into World War II, a global conflict that lasted until 1945 and cost millions of lives. The USS Maryland survived Pearl Harbor and went on to serve throughout the Pacific War, supporting major battles from Tarawa to Okinawa. After the war, the ship was kept at Puget Sound Naval Yard until 1959, when she was sold for scrapping.

In 1961, Maryland Governor J. Millard Tawes dedicated a memorial to the ship and its crew at the Maryland State House in Annapolis. Only 12 Pearl Harbor survivors remain alive today.