Saturday, December 7, 2013

"A date which will live in infamy"

The title of this blog post is taken in part by a speech made by President Franklin Roosevelt following the attack by the Japan Imperial Navy on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.


And, indeed it is a day that has been remembered by many. It is not a national holiday in this country. It is a day to remember those that gave their life and limbs fighting to keep the states from being attacked.

It is traditional to fly the American flag at half-staff during the day and moving it back up to full staff at sunset. The flag at half-staff is to honor all those that gave their life on this day 72 years ago.

More than 2,400 Americans were killed. Those wounded totaled over 1,100. Four U.S. Navy battleships were sunk and four more were damaged. The attack also damaged or sank three cruisers, three destroyers, one minelayer and damaged 188 aircraft.

More than 60 Japanese servicemen were killed, injured or captured. The Japanese Navy also lost five midget submarines and 29 aircraft.

Memorials have been built to remember or to symbolize the day. 
USS Arizona Memorial
The USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor is a marble memorial built over the sunken USS Arizona, which was dedicated in 1962. The memorial was designed by architect Alfred Preis, an Austrian-born resident who lived in Honolulu and was placed at a detainment camp after the Pearl Harbor attack as part of the internment policy of Japanese and German Americans at the time.

USS Utah Memorial

A memorial to honor the crew of the USS Utah was dedicated on the northwest shore of Ford Island, near the ship's wreck, in 1972. The ship was added to the National Register of Historic Places and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989. It is also Utah’s official state ship. 

The events on December 7, 1941 will forever remain in our thoughts; especially for those of us that had family and friends that died or were wounded on that day. And, for those of us that had family members joining the war which was declared because of this attack. The U.S. had no intentions of joining the war in Europe until Japan saw fit to attack us.

It is fitting to remember those that lost their life protecting us. It will always be fitting and as President Roosevelt so rightly stated, "a date which will live in infamy."



Thank you

Elaine



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