The theme of the 68th anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on O'ahu is "But Not in Shame: The Aftermath of Pearl Harbor."

The National Park Service and the U.S. Navy will host a joint memorial ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the attack at 7:40 a.m. on Dec. 7 at Pearl Harbor's Kilo Pier, officials said.

The ceremony will end at 9:30 a.m. Kilo Pier looks out to the USS Arizona Memorial approximately half a mile away.

More than 2,000 guests and the general public will join military personnel — both active and Pearl Harbor survivors — for the annual observance of the attack, officials said.

The National Park Service and Navy said the theme of this year's commemoration is about remembering the brave efforts of those who continued the battle that expanded throughout the Pacific after the devastation at Pearl Harbor.

The Pacific war was fought on a scale that covered nearly half of the Earth and lasted for 44 months. Battles were fought on sea and land and the loss of ships, aircraft and men was unparalleled in the history of the Pacific.

Allan Millett, director of the Eisenhower Center at the University of New Orleans, will serve as the keynote speaker for the commemoration.

A retired colonel of the Marine Corps Reserve and senior military adviser for the National World War II Museum, Millett is a specialist in the history of American military policy and 20th-century wars and military institutions.

Highlights of the ceremony will include music by the U.S. Pacific Fleet Band, morning colors, a Hawaiian blessing, a rifle salute by members of the U.S. Marine Corps, wreath presentations, echo taps and recognition of the men and women who survived the attack as well as those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

At 7:55 a.m., the moment the Japanese attack began, a moment of silence will be observed. The guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie will render honors to the sunken battleship USS Arizona.

Military aircraft will fly over the Arizona Memorial in a "missing man" formation.

The commemoration is free of charge and the public is invited.

Active-duty personnel, civilians with valid military ID and invited guests with invitations are allowed access on base in their vehicles.

Due to security measures at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, the general public wishing to attend the commemoration will be required to board Navy boats departing from the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center, which will transport them to the commemoration site at Kilo Pier.

Seats for the general public on the U.S. Navy boats to the memorial ceremony site are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The first Navy boat for the general public will depart from the visitor center at 6:20 a.m., and the last boat will depart at 7 a.m.

For more information about the Pearl Harbor Day 68th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony, call the National Park Service at 808-422-2771 or visit www.nps.gov/valr; or contact the Navy Region Hawaii Public Affairs Office at 473-2920.

Personal cameras may be used at the ceremony, but no camera bags, purses, handbags and/or other items that provide concealment are allowed.