December 7th - A Day for Remembrance

69 Years Ago This Day....

December 7th 1941 : Japanese Surprise Attack On Pearl Harbor

"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."

On December 7th 1941 the Japanese Imperial Navy launched a pre-emptive strike on US Pacific Fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to clear the way for invading Asia.

The carefully planned raid by sea and air deals a severe blow to US Navy, sinking many battleships, destroyers, and auxiliary ships as well as destroying many aircrafts. The raid is a success, but the prize target, the US aircraft carriers are not present and would later take part in the battles of the Coral Sea and Midway.

In the aftermath of the battle the commander Admiral Yamamoto said "We have awaken a terrible giant".

Here are movies :

Attack On Pearl Harbor, part of a documentary using most footage from the movie "Tora! Tora! Tora!"

To watch click on the links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt13c3olXkU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAnOtWm5OrM



Here is President Franklin Delano Roosevelt - Pearl Harbor Address, click on the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VqQA f74fsE

Here is a video clip I found about Pearl Harbor attack. It's pretty good and it uses clips from the movie "Pearl Harbor" (2001).



The movie is based around love, friendship, honor, courage, and the historical accounts of the attack on Pearl Harbor. In the movie near the end shows the depiction of the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It's very real and feels like you are there experiencing it. Even some Pearl Harbor veterans of that infamous day saw the film had to leave or left the movie in tears. So, I recommend this video for people over the age of 18 years old. I get emotional watching these video clips from America's past. Let me know what you think of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAF2GgiduvM



Links to some sites that dedicate the facts, pictures, and stories of December 7, 1941:

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Dec/08/ln/ln10p.html

http://www.rivervet.com/pearl_harbor.htm

http://www.coolcrack.com/2009/12/incredible-pictures-of-pearl-harbor.html

http://www.veteran.com/content/pearl-harbor-memorial-2007

http://www.december7.com/1941/Ewa_Field_2010/index.html

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pearlharbor/

http://www.pitt.edu/~goldy/library.html

http://groverandgoni.blogspot.com/2009/09/hawaii-adventures-3-pearl-harbor.html

http://www.buglerusn.us/ww2_quotes.htm

http://www.uss-pollack.org/ss180.html

FYI: Just click on pictures to enlarge the photos. Enjoy!

Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(USS Arizona afire, NPS) Reuse only by permission.
The USS Arizona, December 7, 1941, afire at Pearl Harbor. The ship sank with 1,102 sailors entombed that day. An additional 75 crew members died and a mere 334 men survived the attack by the Japanese. The death toll on the USS Arizona was nearly half of all personnel killed at Pearl Harbor (1177 of 2402).





Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(USS Arizona Memorial, NPS) Reuse only by permission.
USS Arizona Memorial, dedicated in 1962 at Pearl Harbor welcomes over a million visitors every year.

Estimates are that more than 1,100 World War II veterans die each day. So, if you see or know a Peal Harbor Veteran or any other United States Veterans- tell them, "thank you for serving."

This post is dedicated to all who either died or survived this day 69 years ago at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.