National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Today is National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, a day that we should all remember and honor the 2,403 citizens of the United States who were killed in the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on 7:55 am Dec. 7, 1941.

This year is the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.  We like to show our respect and honor all those that lost their lives, both civilian and military, that endured incredible sacrifices on Dec. 7, 1941, the “date which will live in infamy.”

It forced America into World War II, changing Hawaii and America forever.  On Aug. 23, 1994, the U.S. Congress designated Dec. 7 of each year as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

The day was Dec. 7, 1941. The first of two waves of Japanese aircraft were launched into the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Oahu Island, Hawaii. The attack lasted for more than two hours and came with no warning and destroyed around 188 U.S. aircraft. A U.S. Army private had noticed on his radar a host of planes coming in, but was told to ignore them since a flight of B-17s from the United States was expected to come in.

The attacks came to be after an extensive rivalry between the Japanese and Americans in the Pacific. The Japanese succeeded in planning a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, partly due to failures in U.S. intelligence.  Although the attacks destroyed many American battleships, aircraft carriers came out of the attacks unharmed.

The first dive bomber appeared over Pearl Harbor at 7:55 a.m. The Japanese chose to attack Pearl Harbor on a Sunday morning because that was the best time for maximum surprise and because they were not fully manned at the time.

This bomber was the first of nearly 200 aircraft, including torpedo planes, bombers and fighters. In the attacks, the Japanese lost between 29 and 60 planes, five midget submarines, two fleet submarines and fewer than 100 men.  Although many survived the attacks, more than 2,400 Americans were killed and another 1,200 injured.

President Franklin Roosevelt termed the attacks on Pearl Harbor as the “date which will live in infamy,” and on Dec. 8 Congress declared war on Japan. On Dec. 11, 1941, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, which would result in the beginning of World War II.