An annual observance is held at 11:55 a.m. to commemorate those lost in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 07, 1941. Over 2,300 Americans were killed in this surprise attack, including 46 Louisiana natives and the man for whom USS KIDD was named: Rear Admiral Isaac Campbell Kidd, Sr. The observance starts at the time here in Baton Rouge that the attack began in Hawaii (accounting for the four hour). Attendance to this event is free to the public. Admission is charged for tours of the ship and the museum building.

On the night of December 07, 1968, the 133-ft. coastal buoy tender USCGC WHITE ALDER collided with the 455-ft. Taiwanese freighter M/V HELENA on the Mississippi River near White Castle, approximately 34 miles south of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The buoy tender sank in approximately one minute, with the loss of 17 members of her 20-man crew. An annual observance is held at a memorial to the vessel and her crew located on the exterior grounds of the USS KIDD Veterans Museum, immediately following the museum's annual Pearl Harbor Day Remembrance. USCG Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge conducts this event, which is free for the public to attend. Admission is charged for tours of the USS KIDD and the museum building.