Dec. 7, 1941

[imoldernu]

Remember...

December 7, 1941: A Day That Will Live in Infamy
America's isolation from war ended on December 7, 1941, when Japan staged a surprise attack on American military installations in the Pacific. The most devastating strike came at Pearl Harbor, the Hawaiian naval base where much of the US Pacific Fleet was moored. In a two-hour attack, Japanese warplanes sank or damaged 18 warships and destroyed 164 aircraft. Over 2,400 servicemen and civilians lost their lives.
America's Reaction
"No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory."
-- President Franklin D. Roosevelt, December 8, 1941
Though stunned by the events of December 7, Americans were also resolute. On December 8, President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war against Japan. The declaration passed with just one dissenting vote. Three days later, Germany and Italy, allied with Japan, declared war on the United States. America was now drawn into a global war. It had allies in this fight--most importantly Great Britain and the Soviet Union. But the job the nation faced in December 1941 was formidable.

...and the cost:

 

[Taxman59]

My father and uncle were in the Pacific theatre. Father in the army and uncle in the marines. Both were in the initial waves in Okinawa, my father being wounded. That changed him from a happy go lucky young man to a depression riddled adulthood. The deaths were horrific on both sides, but the living suffered more. I truly believe that they were the Greatest Generation because they sacrificed so much for the greater good. To all the vets out there, I salute you.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[pb4uski]

I had the honor to visit Pearl Harbor last February. It was a great experience. The casualties in the OP's graphic are staggering.

 

[Midpack]

Not equal in terms of casualties (yet, though probably many more than we realize), but I hope we're not watching WWIII unfold in the Middle East, as some are already suggesting. The conflicts have involved many Middle eastern countries since the Iranian revolution.

One of several http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/08/yes-it-could-happen-again/373465/

Maybe we learned from WWII?

 

[Car-Guy]

My father was in the Army and served in Europe and my FIL was a Navy pilot and served in the Pacific. Both had some amazing stories.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

Thanks for the posting, Imoldernu. Can't believe I didn't remember the significance of the date. My father enlisted in the Army Air Corps shortly after Pearl Harbor despite his advanced age of 36 (parents had just married in Sept.). Two uncles also served in the Army, one at Ft. Detrick as a chemist and another on the DEW line in AK. My FIL was a Seabee in the South Pacific.

 

[Senator]

I grew up in HI, and have been to the USS Arizona memorial many times. As a kid, it was boring. When I went as an adult, it was very humbling. Imagining the 100s of heros that lost their lives and are buried below.

If only the USA was that resolute in defeating the enemy now, terrorism would be the thing of the past.

 

[pb4uski]

You hit the nail on the head Senator, "humbling" was the word I was looking for.

 

[eytonxav]

What a horrific day, hope we do not see any more like it:

 

[Walt34]

I have taken to watching WWII documentaries on youtube since I went on the B-17 bomber ride last summer. The Allied victory was not a slam dunk and we in North America could very well be speaking German or Japanese if not for a lot of heroic people.

 

[Gumby]

When I was a boy back in the 60s, my dad was stationed in Pearl Harbor and we lived in base housing (in Pearl City), so I have always been attuned to December 7th. WWII was not kind to either side of my family. My mother's family lived in London and endured the Blitz. They were bombed out of their flat three times and my grandfather was killed. My paternal grandfather was in the American Army in France and Germany. The experience was so disturbing that when he returned after the war, he was unable to reintegrate into normal society or his own family. He ended up a hermit living in Mexico. I met him only once as a young boy, but I recall that he seemed haunted and distant.

 

[ripper1]

Remember...



...and the cost:

Thanks for this.

 

[pjm-7]

Spoke to 93 yo dad last night. He was tired as he had been at a remembrance ceremony for most of Sunday. He was one of the two survivors in attendance. He served in the army in Hawaii. His duty for the weeks following the attack was to prepare the bodies for transport back to the mainland.