Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941: 'A Date Which Will Live in Infamy'
Seventy-one years ago today, the Japanese Navy attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor killing over 2,400 Americans.
Today marks the 71th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
More than 2,400 Americans were killed in the attack including 1,177 aboard the battleship Arizona. Referred to as a "date which will live in infamy" by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dec. 7, 1941 marked the beginning of America's fight in World War II.
According to the National World War II Museum, we are losing a living memory of "the Greatest Generation" every 100 seconds—along with the sights, sounds, terrors and triumphs they all experienced.
According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, exactly 16,112,566 Americans served in World War II, of whom 405,399 died in service and 670,847 were wounded. As of November 2011—the latest figures available—an estimated 1,711,000 were still living.
But that number is far less now. Some 270,000 veterans died in 2011, so, with more than 800 passing away every day, that number may drop to just over 1.4 million by the end of the year.
Visit History.com for more facts about Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona.
John Himot
7:02 pm on Friday, December 7, 2012
If we forget yesterdays wars we will be doomed to lose our Freedoms that where hard fought for. Thank a Vet for standing up for our Freedoms. 7 Dec. 1941 will never be forgotten in my home or by those who know me.