EAGLE 102 PATRIOT– Every year on December 7, we pause as a nation to reflect and commemorate National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt aptly designated December 7 as “a date which will live in infamy” in his address to a stunned nation one day after Japan’s devastating surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The United State officially entered World War II on December 8, 1941, with a declaration of war on Japan.

On Wednesday, December 7, 2022, the 81st Commemoration began at precisely 7:55 a.m. at the Pearl Harbor National Museum. It marks the minute when Japanese war planes descended on Oahu 81 years ago. The attack claimed over 2,000 young lives and dealt a near fatal blow to the Navy’s fleet at Pearl Harbor.

Japan used 353 aircraft in the attack, including 40 torpedo planes, 103 level bombers, 131 dive-bombers and 79 fighters, along with two heavy cruisers, 35 submarines, two light cruisers, nine oilers, two battleships and 11 destroyers.

The attack killed 2,403 U.S. personnel, including 69 civilians, and destroyed or damaged 19 U.S. Navy ships, including eight battleships. The three aircraft carriers of the U.S. Pacific Fleet were out to sea on maneuvers. Japanese forces were unable to locate them and were forced to leave the U.S. carrier fleet intact.

The battleship USS Arizona remains sunken in Pearl Harbor with its crew on board. Half of the lives claimed that day were on the Arizona. A United States flag flies above the sunken battleship, which serves as a memorial to all Americans who died in the attack.

The Japanese lost 29 aircraft and five midget submarines in the attack. A total of 129 Japanese soldiers were killed and one was taken prisoner. Out of all the Japanese ships that participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor, only one – the Ushio – survived until the end of the war. It was surrendered to the U.S. at Yokosuka Naval Base.

In a shocking blow to Axis forces, the recovery and resolve by America was swift and destructive. After only six months, the U.S. carrier fleet turned the tide with a blow to the Japanese navy in June at the Battle of Midway, sinking four Japanese aircraft carriers. After this victory came the start of the U.S. island-hopping campaign and the eventual defeat of the Japanese Empire in August 1945.

The mostly young Americans who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor, along with those who served in uniform during World War II or in the war effort on the home front are collectively known as “The Greatest Generation.” Their sacrifices reflect the theme of this year’s commemoration: Everlasting Legacy. The focus is the importance of remembering Pearl Harbor and how that generation saved us from tyranny and brought peace through reconciliation.

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