Remembering Pearl Harbor

posted in: Holidays | 0

December 7th is the 76th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

The attack on Pearl Harbor, which is located in Hawaii, was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service.  More than 2,300 Americans were killed in the attack.

The surprise attack came as a profound shock to the American Pearl.  There were two waves of attacks but a planned third wave was not carried out.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor led to the United States entering World War II, which we strived to keep at arm’s length beforehand.

The news of the strike was announced on the radio, which shocked many on the East Coast who heard the news after church services.

The next day President Franklin D. Roosevelt made his “a date which will live in infamy” speech.

Because there was no declaration of war or explicit warning, the Tokyo trials judged this to be a war crime.           

Following the attack, Japanese Admiral Yamamoto said “I fear all we have done is wake a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.”

The United States declared war on December 8th, 1941.

The United States would eventually bomb Japan, although not until the end of the war. 

 Japan surrendered, effectively ending World War II on August 14, 1945.  {Germany had surrendered on May 8, 1945.}

Pearl Harbor Memorial

Today, there is a memorial at Pearl Harbor.

December 7th, 1941 is a day which will live in infamy.”

Anyone who was alive will never forget where they were when they heard about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Whether they were listening to the radio, at the movies, in church or a friend told them, it is a moment engrained in their memories.

Pearl Harbor is located on Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu.

The area was originally known as Wai Momi {Waters of Pearl} and Pu’uloa {Long Hill} and
associated with Hawaiian legends of the shark goddess.

By the 1820s, the United States began to scout the area for the navy. By 1868, the island was in use by the navy but not fortified as a naval yard until 1899.

The attack by the Japanese in 1941, was a surprise attack which led to 180 aircraft destroyed, 2,403 lives lost and almost 1200 others wounded.

This attack led to the US entry into World War II.

In 2016, Pearl Harbor merged with the Hickam Air Force Base to create Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

Pearl Harbor continues to hold commemorative memorial services, although the number of survivors is dwindling.

 Many have visited Pearl Harbor memorial made from the sunken ship USS Arizona to commemorate the attacks and lives lost.

Where were you when you heard the news of Pearl Harbor? Have you ever visited the memorial?

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