At Pearl Harbor, the dedication of a new $56 million visitor center highlights today's commemoration of the 69th Anniversary of the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack that plunged America into World War II.

It's been nearly 67 years since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, yet it still is sharp in many Americans' minds. Spanning nearly all of the Pacific Ocean, World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument preserves and interprets the stories and key events in the Pacific Theater during World War II. A new video sheds some light on the history of those who went down with the USS Arizona.

The World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument recently proclaimed by President Bush incorporates the USS Arizona Memorial and eight other historic sites in Hawaii, Alaska, and California closely associated with the Pacific Theater of Battle. Adding this Monument to the National Park System helps people appreciate the tremendous geographic scale and complexity of the war and its aftermath.