The Bidens entered the memorial from the Pacific tower, according to the pool report. The president approached a wreath in the centre of the memorial adorned with a sunflower in honour of the late Sen. Robert Dole, who was wounded in World War II. Dole died Sunday and will lie in state at the Capitol.
The First Lady also laid a bouquet at the New Jersey pillar to honour her father, Donald Jacobs, who served with the US Navy in WWII.
On 7 December 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service carried out a surprise military strike against the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu. More than 2,000 Americans were killed and over 1,000 were wounded. The Japanese were able to damage or fully destroy almost 20 battleships and more than 300 aircraft. The attack, which became the most tragic event in American territory until September 11, 2001, prompted the US to enter World War II.