Remembering Pearl Harbor

When people hear ‘Pearl Harbor’ they think of World War 2, Hawaii, some ships that got blown up by the Japanese, or maybe even the movie. But what they really don’t know is how greatly this real-life situation affected America and the rest of the world.
On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese surprise attack on the U.S. Navy’s base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii destroyed almost all of the American Pacific Fleet. The United States along with Britain then declared war on Japan. On December 11, 1941 Germany and Italy both declared war on the United States. It brought the United States into World War 2 changing history forever.
With the help of Commander Minoru Genda, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto developed a plan to destroy the U.S. Fleet which at the time was under the command of Admiral Husband E. Kimmel.
The attacks came in two waves. The first came at about 7:53 AM, the second at 8:55AM. By 9:55AM it was all over and the carriers that launched the planes were headed back to Japan.
In the first wave of attacks Commander Mitsuo Fuchida led the first of the Japanese aircraft, including of 133 torpedo, dive, and horizontal bombers and zeros.
In the second attack wave 167 Japanese carrier planes headed for Pearl Harbor.
The attacks were intended to cripple the US Pacific Fleet at its base in Oahu, Hawaii and give Japan an early advantage. The Japanese failed at their other goal of destroying American repair yards, fuel reserves, and submarine base.
American casualties included about 2,500 deaths with 1,177 injured sailors and soldiers, sinking 3 battleships, capsizing another, and damaging three more. Destroyers and cruisers were damaged along with every aircraft either destroyed or damaged, but not all beyond repair. Japanese losses were limited to twenty-nine aircraft, five mini-submarines, and sixty-five fatalities.
Despite all the chaos and heartbreak the Japanese left behind, they united the people of the United States, successfully ending the segregated feeling in the country.
As quoted by President Roosevelt on December 8, 1941, Pearl Harbor has been remembered as “A date which will live in infamy.”