Remembering 81 years later
No moment in the history of the United States has cast a darker shadow than the morning, of Sunday, December 7, 1941, the day the skies over Pearl Harbor, home of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet, on the thenremote Hawaiian island of Oahu, darkened with a wave of attacking Japanese aircraft in a meticulously planned and executed surprise attack launched by some 350 Japanese bombers and fighter planes that sank or severely damaged twenty-one ships, more than 300 aircraft and claimed the lives of 2,400 Americans, including civilians, in less than two hours – it was the worst day in American naval history. The single most devastating explosion came when the USS Arizona was struck by a projectile that caused munitions and fuels to ignite, explode and sink the battleship entombing 1,177 of its officers and crewmen in a watery grave. On December 8, less than 24 hours after the first bombs fell on the island of Oahu President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the U.S. Congress, in his famous speech Roosevelt said: “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.”
SŽŵĞ ƉůĂĐĞƐ ĂƌĞ ĚŝĸĐƵůƚ ƚŽ ĨŽƌŐĞƚ͕ ĨŽƌ ƚŚŽƐĞ ŽĨ ƵƐ ǁŚŽ ŚĂǀĞ ǀŝƐŝƚĞĚ ƚŚĞ h^^ ƌŝnjŽŶĂ DĞŵŽƌŝĂů͕ ŽŶĞ ŽĨ ŵĞƌŝĐĂ͛Ɛ ŵŽƐƚ ŚĂůůŽǁĞĚ ƐŝƚĞƐ͕ ĐĂŶ ŶĞǀĞƌ ĨŽƌŐĞƚ ǁŚĂƚ ŝƚ ĨĞĞůƐ ůŝŬĞ ƚŽ ƐƚĂŶĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŐƌĂĐĞĨƵů͕ ƐŽůĞŵŶ ǁŚŝƚĞ ŵĂƌďůĞ ƐƚƌƵĐƚƵƌĞ ƚŚĂƚ ƐŝƚƐ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ĂŶĚ ĂďŽǀĞ ƚŚĞ ŚƵůŬ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŝůůͲ ĨĂƚĞĚ ďĂƩůĞƐŚŝƉ ĂŶĚ ŚĞƌ ĐƌĞǁ ǁŚŽ ůŽƐƚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ůŝǀĞƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĂƚ ĨĂƚĞĨƵů ĞĐĞŵďĞƌ ŵŽƌŶŝŶŐ ʹ h͘^͘^͘ ƌŝnjŽŶĂ ŝƐ ƐƟůů ƚŚĞƌĞ ƌĞƐƟŶŐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ƐĞĂŇŽŽƌ ŽĨ WĞĂƌů ,ĂƌďŽƌ͕ ĂƐůĞĞƉ ŝŶ ϰϬ ĨĞĞƚ ŽĨ ŐƌĞLJ͕ ƐŝůƚLJ ǁĂƚĞƌ͖ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ďĞĞŶ ƚŚĞƌĞ ƐŝŶĐĞ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƌŶŝŶŐ ŽĨ ĞĐĞŵďĞƌ ϳ͕ ϭϵϰϭ͕ ǁŚĞŶ ϯϱϯ ƉůĂŶĞƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ /ŵƉĞƌŝĂů :ĂƉĂŶĞƐĞ ĨŽƌĐĞƐ ŵŽƵŶƚĞĚ Ă ƐƵƌƉƌŝƐĞ ĂƐƐĂƵůƚ ŽŶ ŵĞƌŝĐĂŶ ŶĂǀĂů ĨŽƌĐĞƐ ƐƚĂƟŽŶĞĚ ŝŶ ,ĂǁĂŝŝ ʹ ƚŚĞ ĂƩĂĐŬ ŬŝůůĞĚ Ϯ͕ϰϬϯ hŶŝƚĞĚ ^ƚĂƚĞƐ ƉĞƌƐŽŶŶĞů͕ ŝŶũƵƌĞĚ ϭ͕ϭϳϴ͕ ĚƌĞǁ ƚŚĞ hŶŝƚĞĚ ^ƚĂƚĞƐ ŝŶƚŽ tŽƌůĚ tĂƌ //͕ ĂŶĚ ĂůƚĞƌĞĚ ƚŚĞ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ŽĨ ŚŝƐƚŽƌLJ ĨŽƌĞǀĞƌ͘
I can never forget what it was like to stand in the airy sunshine of the memorial, above the sunken ship and read the names of the 1,177 servicemen aboard the USS Arizona who lost their lives that fateful morning ĂŶĚ ƌĞŵĂŝŶ ĞŶƚŽŵďĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂƩůĞƐŚŝƉΖƐ ƐůŽǁůLJ ƌƵƐƟŶŐ hull carved into the memorial’s interior; neither can I forget looking down at the submerged remains of the ďĂƩůĞƐŚŝƉ ĂŶĚ ƐĞĞŝŶŐ Ă ƐŵĂůů Žŝů ƐůŝĐŬ͕ ŝƚ ŝƐ ŶŽƚ ŵŽĚĞƌŶ ƉŽůůƵƟŽŶ ŵLJ ƚŽƵƌ ŐƵŝĚĞ ĞdžƉůĂŝŶĞĚ ʹ ƚŚĞLJ ĂƌĞ ĚƌŽƉůĞƚƐ known as Pearl Harbor’s “black tears”, more than eight ĚĞĐĂĚĞƐ ĂŌĞƌ ƚŚĞ ĂƩĂĐŬ ƚŚĞ h^^ ƌŝnjŽŶĂ͛Ɛ ĨƵĞů ƚĂŶŬƐ ƐƟůů ůĞĂŬƐ Žŝů ƚŚĂƚ ďƵďďůĞƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƐƵƌĨĂĐĞ͘