Pear Harbor Remembrance Day

Public Domain Photo:
(l-r) USS West Virginia (sunk); USS Tennessee (damaged);
and the USS Arizona (sunk).

Every year, on 7 December, the United States observes Pearl Harbor Day. The "Day of Infamy" remembers and honors the 2,403 citizens who were killed in the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Sunday, 7 December 1941.

That Sunday, by all reports, began as a beautiful, tranquil morning. The morning was soon devastated. The Japanese bombed the ships that were in port. Explosions. Fires. Sirens. Sounds and smells no one ever expected.

Our Navy bore the brunt of the attack, obviously. The US National Park Service has compiled a list of those killed in action that day. They are: Navy, Marines, Army, and Air Force. In addition, 68 civilians lost their lives that day as well.

Vichnaya Pamyat.

Sources:
"Military Casualties," National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/valr/learn/historyculture/military-casualties.htm

Wortman, Marc. "The Children of Pearl Harbor," Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/children-pearl-harbor-180961290/

(c) Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2019

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