Seventy years ago on Dec. 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on America’s naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, that drew the U.S. into World War II.
The aerial bombing killed more than 2,400 Americans, sunk 12 ships and destroyed 188 aircraft. President Franklin Roosevelt had at that time referred to the attack as, “A date which will live in infamy.”
Now seventy years after the attack, thousands of people, including about 120 survivors, will pay their respects to the Americans who died in the bombing on the Hawaiian island of Oahu at 7:55 a.m. — the time at which the attack had begun seven decades ago. More than 3,000 people are expected to attend the memorial ceremony.
President Barack Obama paid tribute to the Americans killed in the Pearl Harbor bombing, in Washington on Tuesday. As a nation, we look to December 7, 1941 to draw strength from the example set by these patriots and to honour all who have sacrificed for our freedoms, Obama said.
The USS Oklahoma Memorial Executive Committee will dedicate a memorial marker at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu Wednesday, LA Times reported.
The remains of the 335 USS Oklahoma sailors are buried in graves at the National Memorial Cemetery and the marker will be dedicated in memory of the sailors killed during the attack.
The USS SHAW explodes during the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Dec. 7, 1941. Dec. 7, 2011 marks the 70th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack in which over 2,400 members of the United States military were killed. Picture taken Dec. 7, 1941.ReutersA view of the USS ARIZONA burning after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii Dec. 7, 1941. Dec. 7, 2011, marks the 70th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack in which over 2,400 members of the United States military were killed. Picture taken Dec. 7, 1941.ReutersThis captured Japanese photograph shows the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Dec. 7, 1941. In the distance, the smoke rises from Hickam Field. Dec. 7, 2011, marks the 70th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack in which over 2,400 members of the United States military were killed. Picture taken Dec. 7, 1941.ReutersThe USS Nevada is aground and burning off Waipio Point, after the end of the Japanese air raid in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Dec. 7, 1941. Ships assisting the USS Nevada (R) are the harbor tug Hoga and USS Avocet. Dec. 7, 2011 marks the 70th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack in which over 2,400 members of the United States military were killed. Picture taken Dec. 7, 1941.ReutersThe U.S. Navy battleship USS California is seen ablaze after an attack by Japanese carrier based strike aircraft on the Hawaiian port of Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941. Dec. 7, 2011, marks the 70th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack in which over 2,400 members of the United States military were killed. Picture taken Dec. 7, 1941.ReutersA burnt B-17C aircraft rests near Hangar Number Five, Hickam Field, following the attack by Japanese aircraft on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Dec. 7, 1941. Dec. 7, 2011, marks the 70th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack in which over 2,400 members of the United States military were killed. Picture taken Dec. 7, 1941.ReutersAn aerial view of "Battleship Row" at Pearl Harbor, photographed from a Japanese aircraft, beside Ford Island, during the early part of the horizontal bombing attack on the ships moored on Dec. 7, 1941. Ships seen are (L-R): USS Nevada; USS Arizona with USS Vestal moored outboard; USS Tennessee with USS West Virginia moored outboard; USS Maryland with USS Oklahoma moored outboard; and USS Neosho, only partially visible at the extreme right. A bomb had just hit Arizona near the stern, but she has not yet received the bomb that detonated her forward magazines. West Virginia and Oklahoma are gushing oil from their many torpedo hits and are listing to port. Oklahoma's port deck edge is already under water. Nevada has also been torpedoed.Reuters
