December 7, 1941. This date was permanently burned into the memory of an entire generation, and more than 65 years later it still holds as one of the most notorious dates in American history.

It was the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and a day that changed the world forever. Just before 8a.m. that morning, a group of Japanese planes approached the unsuspecting naval base. They arrived without warning, and without a formal declaration of war.

As the planes coasted over the American base, they unleashed a fury of firepower that quickly sank half of the battleships stationed at Pearl Harbor. The assault was brief, but highly effective. Japanese Zero Bomber Planes were lightning fast and heavily armed.

America lost more than 2,000 people to the brutal attack. Over 1,200 more were injured. The assault consisted of two separate groups of Japanese bombers that damaged or destroyed a large number of American ships, planes and equipment.

This attack was intended to discourage America from declaring war against the Japanese Empire. It had the opposite effect. Although Pearl Harbor was a message warning the U.S. to ignore the aggressive behaviors of Japan, Germany and Italy, the event rallied people together and motivated the entire country to get involved.

Japan’s attack weakened American forces, but strengthened their resolve. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed that December 7 would be a day that would live in infamy, and Congress declared war on the Japanese Empire. Our soldiers heard the call and prepared for battle.

On December 11, Japanese allies in Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. This plunged the U.S. directly into World War II. Within four years the war would come to an end, with the Japanese and other Axis powers surrendering. America emerged victorious.

At PeopleFinders, we remember the attack on Pearl Harbor with reverence, and we proudly stand to salute the brave men and women who went to war for their country… then and now. We thank everyone who has served this country for their commitment, selflessness and tireless defense of our way of life.

We will always remember December 7, 1941. Not just for the horrific attack, but also for the aftermath in which America proved that we would not be bullied, we would not roll over and we would fight for the freedoms we hold so dear. Stay strong, America!

By: Nate Waymire

About the Author:

On December 7th, 1941, before many Americans were even awake, the Japanese Navy struck the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor with a surprising and deadly attack. There are many facts on Pearl Harbor that will be brought to light in this article.

Twelve facts on Pearl Harbor:

1. Pearl Harbor is a United States naval base located west of Honolulu on the island of O’ahu, Hawaii.

2. It was the attack on Pearl Harbor that brought the United States into World War II.

3. Due to the fact that it was a Sunday morning, many of the soldiers were sleeping and were completely unaware of the catastrophe that was soon to be upon them all.

4. The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan was supposed to be a preventive attack used to scare the United States from interfering with Japans’ plan to wage war against Britain, the Netherlands, and the United States. Although this was a very good strategic victory for the Japanese, they used huge amounts of resources for this one attack.

5. There were two waves of planes that attacked the U.S Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. The first arrived at 7:55 a.m. and consisted of 183 planes. The second wave arrived almost an hour later with 167 planes. There were very few soldiers ready to fight on cue, thus the damage and devastation was quite severe.

6. In all, the Japanese sank or damaged 188 aircraft, eight U.S. Navy battleships, three destroyers, three cruisers, and one minelayer. The damage caused to the Japanese navy was very small, Only 29 aircraft out of 350 were destroyed.

7. There were 2,403 people killed, 68 of those were civilians. 1,178 were wounded.

8. There had been a declaration of war sent to the United States by the Japanese before the attack even happened, but the United States thought that it was an ending to negotiations. This mistake proved deadly.

9. The Four U.S. Navy battleships that were destroyed were the USS Arizona, the USS Nevada, the USS Oklahoma, and the USS West Virginia.

10. The Japanese thought that the battleships were the primary source of the United States strength, but they failed to realize that the aircraft carriers and submarines would be sufficient enough to stop them in the end.

11. Although the Empire of Japan caused huge amounts of damage to the United States, there were still many members in congress that did not want to go to war, and felt the need was quite small. However, this did not stop the United States from declaring war with Japan the very next day.

12. Lastly, one of the main reasons that the attack on Pearl Harbor did not succeed was because this very attack helped spur the Americans onward and proved to be a huge rallying point for the troublesome days, months, and years that lay ahead.

By: Candis Reade

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