The late President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 68 years ago declared December 7, 1941 “A date that will live in infamy”. Yet, many young Americans have heard little if anything about that horrible day. Some older Americans let the anniversary of the day slip by unnoticed --- but older veterans and their families still remember. 

At dawn on December 7, 1941, more than half of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, approximately 150 vessels and service craft, lay at anchor or alongside piers in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It was a tranquil scene as all but one of the Pacific Fleet’s battleships were in port that Sunday morning, most of them moored to quays flanking Ford Island.

Then without warning the tranquil scene was shattered as six Japanese aircraft carriers launched a fleet of 181 airplanes, composed of torpedo bombers, dive bombers, horizontal bombers and fighters. The “sneak attack” on America was a complete surprise as the mass of planes filled the sky, flying in low over the Pacific and attacked military airfields to destroy American planes before they could rise into the air to intercept the raid. At the same time, the Japanese struck the anchored fleet, sinking or damaging 21 ships, apparently breaking the fighting backbone of the fleet.

In the harbor, the primary targets were the eight battleships anchored there. The USS West Virginia sank quickly. The USS Oklahoma also went down. An armor-piercing bomb ignited the USS Arizona’s forward ammunition magazine and the resulting explosion and fire killed 1,177 crewmembers, the largest loss of life on any ship that day and about the number of military and civilians killed in the attack.

The USS California, USS Maryland, USS Tennessee and the USS Nevada all sustained varying degrees of damage within the first half hour.

The Navy air bases at Ford Island and Kanoehe Bay, the Marine airfield at Ewa and the Army Air Corps fields at Bellows, Wheeler and Hickam were all bombed and strafed with machinegun fire, killing our surprised military as they ran for cover or to battle stations. Aircraft losses were 188 destroyed and 159 damaged. The majority were hit before they had a chance to take off.

American dead numbered 2,403, including 68 civilians. There were 1,178 military and civilians wounded.

By 10:00am, the morning calm had been shattered, 21 vessels lay sunk or damaged, smoke from burning aircraft and hangers filled the sky and oil from the sinking ships clogged the harbor. Death was everywhere.

In the wake of the sneak attack, 16 Medals of Honor, 51 Navy Crosses, 53 Silver Crosses, four Navy and Marine Corps Medals, one Distinguished Flying Cross, four Distinguished Service Crosses, one Distinguished Service Medal and three Bronze Star Medals were awarded to the brave American servicemen who distinguished themselves in combat at Pearl Harbor.

As a result of one of the most significant events in history, the United States entered World War II, fought in two great theaters of war --- across the Atlantic in Europe and North Africa and across the Pacific from Pearl Harbor to the Japanese home islands.

The cry went out: “Remember Pearl Harbor!” We did --- and eventually in 1945, after President Harry Truman ordered planes to drop atom bombs of death and destruction on Japan --- the Japanese surrendered to the United States.

Remember Pearl Harbor! But, we didn’t, at least not completely. There was Vietnam, Korea, bombings of our embassies and ships, and now Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Holy Bible tells of “wars and rumors of wars in the last days”.

Let us all remember the fallen heroes of all our wars and their families on December 7. We MUST remember!