On August 23, 1994, Congress , by Public Law 103-308, designated December 7 of each year as "National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day" in honor of the more than 2,400 military service personnel who died on December 7, 1941, during the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii , by Japanese forces. The attack on Pearl Harbor caused the United States to enter World War II , which lasted until Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945.
In 2008, a Presidential Proclamation created the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument . It is a national monument honoring several military engagements in World War II and is located in three states.