Just before 8 am in a small lagoon called Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu Hawaii, a surprise attack of Japanese bombers took the lives of more than 2,400 people, wounded 1,000 more and damaged or destroyed 20 American ships and 300 airplanes. Half of the 2400 killed were on the naval battleship USS Arizona. “The date”, which quoting then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, “will live in infamy,” occurred 74 years ago today, on December 7th 1941. Included in the toll were 23 sets of brothers and the ship’s entire military band. The US Navy Band was on deck for the daily flag raising cermony, when the bombs came. The hull of the USS Arizona still lies at the bottom of the port,in less than 40 feet of water. An immense ivory memorial , dedicated in 1962, has been constructed over the site that attracts over 1 million visitors each year.
Remembering Pearl Harbor Day
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