Pearl Harbor Day

                December 7, 2016, is the 75th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. We must never forget how Japan forced the United States to be drawn into World War II, a war that would last four long years and eventually cost more than 400,000 American lives. 

                At 7:55 a.m. on December 7, 1941, a swarm of Japanese warplanes swooped out of the clouds and descended on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor. The surprise attack destroyed or severely damaged five of the eight battleships, three destroyers, seven other ships, and more than 200 aircraft. The attack also killed 2,400 Americans and wounded 1,200.

                The day after the attack at Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made his now famous statement before a joint session of Congress: “Yesterday, December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”

                FDR sought and received the approval of Congress to approve a “resolution recognizing the state of war between the United States and Japan.” Germany and Italy declared war against the United States three days later, and the United States then declared war on those two countries. The USA became part of the success of the Allied Forces in preserving liberty worldwide.