Pearl Harbor, Hawaii — Monday, December 7th will be the 79th anniversary of the Japanese surprise aerial attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Monday, and every December 7th, flags in the Unites States are to fly at half-staff in honor of the American service people who lost their lives on that Sunday morning so many years ago.
The first Japanese dive-bomber appeared over the harbor at 7:55 am on December 7th, 1941, the first part of a wave of nearly two hundred torpedo planes, bombers and fighter planes. The air strike on Battleship Row was devastating to the United States Pacific fleet, most of which were packed close together, moored in the harbor.
The Japanese also attacked military airfields on the island of Oahu, which is home to Pearl Harbor, doing horrendous damage.
But the heaviest loss that morning came in human terms. More than 3,400 U.S. military casualties were suffered, including more than 2,300 killed, including 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on the U.S.S. Arizona. 1,102 of them remain entombed on their ship which remains at the bottom of Pearl Harbor.
The attack was the impetus that caused the United States to enter World War II.
In honor of those who served there on that day, as well as their comrades who lost their lives, remember to fly your flags at half-staff this Monday, December 7th.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
