At sunrise on December 7, 1941, Mitsuo Fuchida led a squadron of Japanese planes toward Hawaii’s Hickam Field. There at Pearl Harbor the entire Pacific Fleet slumbered under the promise of a brilliant Sunday sky, a treat for sailors from the wintry U.S. mainland. At 7:49 AM, Fuchida’s cry , “Tora, Tora, Tora!” reverberated from his microphone into the planes of 360 other Japanese air warriors, and like mechanical wasps, they dive-bombed eight battleships, obliterating two and inflicting major damage upon six others. Nearly a dozen other ships, cruisers, minelayers, and destroyers bobbled about powerlessly in water slick with burning oil. The enemy shattered 150 planes as well. More than 2,000 servicemen died that morning, and over a thousand were wounded.
The following day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appeared before Congress seeking a formal declaration of war as millions of Americans listened to the speech on the radio. In one of his most famous addresses, the President assured lawmakers and the American public that God would help our country. His moving words still manage to stir hearts:
Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. . .
With confidence in our armed forces—with the unbounding determination of our people—we will gain the inevitable triumph—so help us God. . . .
And He did.
(Adapted from Great Events in American History)
Tags: 1941, December 7, FDR, Mitsuo Fuchida, Pearl Harbor, WWII
0