Pearl Harbor Attack Was 79 Years Ago Today

Today marks 79 years since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It was December 7, 1941 that changed our world. Japan launched bombers against our Navy fleet on that Sunday morning catching us unprepared. President Franklin Roosevelt quickly addressed Congress to ask for a declaration of war.

The deadly Japanese attack left more than 2400 Americans dead and more than 1,000 others were hurt during the bombing which prompted the United States to declare war on Japan.

Our Naval fleet was nearly wiped out. More than 300 aircraft and 19 Navy ships, including eight battleships, were damaged or destroyed.
I have visited Pearl Harbor twice and each time I am filled with emotion to imaging those sailors resting and relaxing on a Sunday morning and then suddenly their world is completely rocked. It happened so quickly. To see the USS Arizona still underwater brings you to tears because you know many of our nation's finest went down with that ship.

This event also escalated WWII. On December 11, 1941, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. The U.S. then joined the allied forces in declaring war on Germany and the other Axis powers.

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