"A date which will live in infamy..."

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Tomorrow, December 7, it will be 71 years since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Lest we forget - here is the verbatim transcript of the speech President Roosevelt gave to Congress on the following day:

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Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives:

Yesterday, December 7th, 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.

The United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.

Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And, while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.
Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya.

Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island.
And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has therefore undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense, that always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.

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.

I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph. So help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.

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The battleship Arizona under attack and sinking:
Pearl-USSArizona.jpg


Some of the carnage at Hickam Field, Hawaii:
PEARL_HARBORDEAD.jpg


8 miles away from Pearl, civilians were strafed:
Pearl-8milesaway.jpg


A view of south Ford Island today, showing the U.S.S. Missouri, where the surrender document was signed in Tokyo Bay, and the visible hulk of the sunken U.S.S. Arizona:
AZ_MEMORIAL_SATELLITE_IMAGE.jpg


The list of servicemen killed in action on the Arizona on a wall in the Arizona memorial:
PEARL-WALL-1.jpg


A gun turret still visible above the water on the Arizona today:
CopyofAZ_GUN_TURRET.jpg


Oil still seeps from the hull of the sunken Arizona, tomb of hundreds of servicemen:
AZ_OIL_SLICKJPG.jpg


Pearl Harbor as it appeared Aug. 31, 2011 on our visit there:
RAINBOW-4.jpg


One anchor of the Arizona at Pearl Harbor:
AZANCHOR-PEARL.jpg


The other anchor is now on display outside the Arizona capitol in Phoenix:
AZANCHOR-PHOENIX.jpg


Few survivors from the U.S.S. Arizona remain alive today. This bottle of champagne is to be opened by the last one. It's in the Arizona capitol.
LAST_MAN_CHAMPAGNE.jpg


Never forget this tragedy and what our Nation endured. Please join me in flying the flag tomorrow, and pray that such an event as this and the one of Sept. 11, 2001 will be prevented in the future by constant national vigilance.

John
 
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I remember Pearl Harbor as kid and I can never forget Dec. 7th, it was my mom and dad's anniversary 12 years prior to Pearl Harbor.
Thanks for the reminder John.
 
My father was on the Nevada moored aft of the Arizona. He wouldn't talk about the attack.
 
I like the symbolism of the Missouri moored bow to bow with the Arizona: "You do this to us, and we will return the favor with interest".

I think the Arizona is the tomb to thousands, not hundreds, of US sailors. She sure looks small compared to the Missouri.
 
As a "pre-boomer" and son of WWII ETO vet, I always had quite an interest in that whole era. I'm currently rereading Churchill's history of WWII. We could never repay the men who fought in that war for what they did for us. Thank God for them.

That includes my dad, whose 1943 portrait is on the wall above me as I type this.

Believe I'll watch "Tora, Tora, Tora" tomorrow...
 
On December 7, 1941, my future parents were in Champaign, Illinois, holding a party to announce their engagement. Festivities were dampened by the news that came over the radio. According to my mom, all of the men present swore they were going to enlist the following day, and all the women present were telling them not to be rash, to go down and talk to the recruiters and find out their options. All or most of these guys were grad students at the University of Illinois.

My future dad did go down and talk to a recruiter, who when he learned that Dad was working on his masters degree in entomology (insects) told him to come back as soon he finished his degree, because the army had a definite use for him. Dad spent the war as a captain in a division of the medical corps in North Africa and Italy, trying to keep our troops from contracting malaria and other insect-born diseases. I'm told WWII was the first war in history in which more soldiers died from enemy action than from disease.
 
My mother and Father were married one week prior to 12-07-41. Dad was drafted in the late spring of 1942 and then spent 33 months in the ETO. He came home a changed man after VE Day.

LTC
 
The photo of the strafed civilian & vehicle is particularly chilling, and often overlooked in the final casualty count.
 
Thanks for the post as my cousin was a tailgunner on a B17 and happened to be at Hickham on this date. He got his earphones shot off by a Jap Zero in a later fight and if you saw this man you would never guess he did and saw all this history.

God Bless those men and women of the greatest generation as they truely deserve all the honors that we can give.
 
Always think of a family member on this day (actually, my SIL's dad). He was blown off the deck of the USS West Virginia that day and had to swim under the burning oil to get away from it.
I have a very beat-up Colt M1911 (mfg. 1917) that he had on that day, and kept through his Navy career, which ended in the '60's. It looks terrible, but has been all over the world.
 
Always think of a family member on this day (actually, my SIL's dad). He was blown off the deck of the USS West Virginia that day and had to swim under the burning oil to get away from it.
I have a very beat-up Colt M1911 (mfg. 1917) that he had on that day, and kept through his Navy career, which ended in the '60's. It looks terrible, but has been all over the world.

More than one pistol was fired in desperation at the attacking Japanese. I took a picture of this one, which was on display in the museum at Pearl Harbor.

John

PEARL_PISTOL.jpg
 
But to quote Talleyrand:
"It was worse than a crime-it was a blunder!"
 
My granddaughhter's 18th birthday is tomorrow, so our family has two things to remember on Dec. 7. I hope she and all of our family never forget the other.
 
Some day, I hope to visit Pearl Harbor. I wonder how many high school history classes today will be asked "who here knows what happened on this day 71 years ago?"

Not enough of them, likely.
 
I was a six year old, starting the day's chores out at the barn on our ranch with my dad, when my mother came running out with the news. The emotion in their faces is one of my earliest memories.

Still moved after all these years whenever I see the date: DECEMBER 7, 1941

Bob
 
I'm debating (more like throttling) a couple of imbeciles on another forum who claim that Pearl Harbor was OUR fault because we had no right to NOT sell oil to the Japanese so that they could continue slaughtering the Chinese and spreading into other territories. Not surprisingly, a Holocaust revisionist has chimed in to support them.

Needless to say, their ignorance of history would be astonishing, even in a bunch of stoned highschool kids.

There will always be Benedict Arnolds, Quislings and Lord Haw Haws...
 
I had a very good friend who was at Pearl that day and often told me about the attack. He was in a mess hall when it started and took cover behind a large stove in the kitchen. He said many were killed in that building. He ran across the base and told of being strafed by a Zero that was so close he could see the pilot's eyes. Both of his eardrums were punctured by the concussion of the bombs. He stayed in and spent over 30 years in the USAF.

A high school classmate of my mother in law was on the Arizona that day and still is.
 
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