12/08/2025
•Pearl Harbor•
A day that lives in infamy - We pay TRIBUTE for the losses, casualties, families impacted and for the courageous battles that ensued.
It was an honor to be stationed there, on site, where we were able to pay our respect to those before us.
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The Attack
On the morning of Sunday, 0748hrs on December 7, 1941, 353 Japanese aircraft launched from six aircraft carriers struck the U.S. Pacific Fleet in two waves. The attack lasted just over an hour and fifteen minutes and achieved nearly complete surprise.
Casualties:
More than 2,400 Americans were killed, including 68 civilians, and another 1,178 were wounded. Nearly half of the deaths occurred on the USS Arizona, which sank after an 1,800-pound bomb ignited its forward ammunition magazine.
Damage:
The Japanese damaged or destroyed nearly 20 American naval vessels, including all eight battleships present, and over 300 aircraft.
Tactical Failures:
Crucially, none of the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s three aircraft carriers were in port that day, and vital onshore facilities like oil storage depots and repair shops remained largely intact. These oversights allowed the U.S. Navy to recover and retaliate relatively quickly.
Aftermath and Legacy
The attack, which President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously called “a date which will live in infamy,” unified the previously divided American public and galvanized the nation to enter World War II. The day after the assault, the U.S. declared war on Japan, and its allies Germany and Italy declared war on the U.S. days later.
Today, Pearl Harbor remains an active U.S. naval base and the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, merged with Hickam Air Force Base to form Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam. The site is a place of profound historical and emotional significance, featuring several memorials:
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https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2001/winter/crafting-day-of-infamy-speech.html
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/sites/default/files/2017-07/pearl-harbor.pdf
https://www.pearlharboroahu.com/how-long-did-the-attack-on-pearl-harbor-last/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor
