An official proclamation declaring Dec. 7 as Pearl Harbor Day has been a longstanding tradition for the El Paso County Board of Commissioners.

But Tuesday’s ceremonial reading, held during a board meeting at Centennial Hall, was a little different.

Dave Griffin, the grandson of fallen World War II hero Daniel T. Griffin, flew in from his Washington home to hear the proclamation and to speak with the county commissioners about his yearslong passion project.

“The proclamation was great, and I love it,” Dave Griffin said. “But it’s only a day.

“When no living (World War II) servicemen stand … how do we teach our current and future generations about bravery, sacrifice and freedom?”

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The Griffin family hopes to commission a project that will disseminate Daniel’s story more widely, a permanent, public memorial to the man who is acknowledged as the first Coloradan — and perhaps the first American — to die in the attack that brought the U.S. into World War II.

“You should be very proud of what he did,” Dave Griffin told the commission. “He was a hometown boy who did you well.”

A 1928 graduate of Colorado Springs High School (now Palmer High School), Daniel T. Griffin was standing watch in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941, when Japanese bombers began attacking the naval station. He reportedly alerted others of the attack before swimming out to his plane, which sat in the waters of the bay.

As the naval aviator began to take off, the plane was strafed by machine gun fire and crashed. The injured Griffin was shot and killed as he attempted to swim to shore.

Griffin’s body, recovered five days after the attack, remained interred in Hawaii from 1941-1947, according to multiple reports. He was eventually moved to Colorado Springs, where he is interred at Evergreen Cemetery.

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Dave Griffin, Pikes Peak Library archivist Bill Thomas, and Doherty High School Naval Junior ROTC director Capt. Greg Thomas (retired) have been advocating for a public memorial honoring Daniel Griffin’s sacrifice. On Tuesday, the WWII hero’s grandson gave a presentation at the commissioners’ meeting, and told the story of his grandfather’s life, wartime service and death.

The commissioners were moved by the presentation — and by the story.

“It’s truly incredible, and I do think we have got to find more ways to help people see what it means to be so selfless, and to have such a love for this country,” said Commissioner Carrie Geitner, a former military spouse.

“It is certainly something that we need to continue to instill in future generations.”

Commissioner Stan VanderWerf, who served  in the Air Force for 28 years, supported Geitner’s statement.

“We need to tell this story,” said VanderWerf, who spearheaded the effort to name a bridge after USS Arizona survivor Donald Stratton.

Geitner said she would put Griffin in touch with colleagues from District 11 to explore possibilities for a memorial.

“I think that would be a very good connection for you,” she told him. “And I’d love to get you connected with some other people in our community and figure out a way to be able to do that.”

Griffin, who visited Colorado Springs with several family members in May, said he hopes his effort to publicly memorialize his grandfather is nearing fruition.

“I think this is a great story,” he said. “It should be shared widely, and not just for one day a year.”