Pearl Harbor Day - Dec 7th 1941

[HuLuD44]

The attack on Pearl Harbor (called the Hawaii Operation or Operation Z by the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters, and the Battle of Pearl Harbor by some Americans) was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on the morning of December 7, 1941. The next day the United States declared war on Japan resulting in their entry into World War II. The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from influencing the war that the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia, against Britain and the Netherlands, as well as the U.S. in the Philippines. The base was attacked by Japanese aircraft (a total of 353, in two waves) launched from six aircraft carriers.

Four U.S. Navy battleships were sunk (two of which were raised and returned to service later in the war) and all of the four other battleships present were damaged. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship and one minelayer. 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed, 2,402 personnel were killed and 1,282 were wounded. The power station, shipyard, maintenance, and fuel and torpedo storage facilities, as well as the submarine piers and headquarters building (also home of the intelligence section) were not attacked. Japanese losses were light, with 29 aircraft and five midget submarines lost, and 65 servicemen killed or wounded. That's only 302 less than 9/11.

-Most sources say that the American casualties were the following: 406,000 killed (including 6,000 merchant marine civilians. 600,000 Wounded; 5,600 American civilians where killed in this war, mostly of them Merchant Marine Sailors that died in convoy wars, and ammo accidents. It is impossible to give true stats on this because many soldiers were unaccounted for (too badly wounded and not even a dog tag could be retrieved) and, of course, there is no way one possibly could know how many innocent civilians were lost (civilians usually have a higher loss than any armed force of any country.) United States 292,000 soldiers. It should be noted that the previous figure only denotes soldiers who were confirmed to be killed in action by enemy forces.

Casualties of the Iraq/Afgan war to date - 5,817

Next time you want to complain about the war, Know your history...

[Steve]

I talk to my 72yo Korean War Vet neighbor all the time about the past wars we've been in and how it's guys like him that are the strong people that made this country what it is. Society as a whole is in a downturn with their attitudes, motives, etc. and it takes real men and women who have solid beliefs, morals, and direction to help guide the people who complain about war out of their confused ways.

If it wasn't for those old timers @ the local VFW we'd be speaking another language by now. People need to remember that.

[BigBass]

When I was a little kid my grandmother had a VA home in CI and i spent a lot of time playing there. I heard so many stories there I wish I could hear and record them now as an adult. Many of the guys would keep an on eye and me because most had no family around and I as a substitute grandson. One army vet showed me the armor tactics they used to brake the battle of the bulge with my micro machines tanks. There was one other vet there that always stuck out. Bella checked out on December 7th, 1941 and hadn't been back since. Bella was on deck on the Arizona and spent the better part of the day treading water in the harbor with his dead and dying buddies around him. Most of the guys there had stories some amazing some horrifying but his always stuck out.