Take A Few Moments Today To Remember & Honor Those...

 ...who lost their live or limbs and innocence on December 7, 1941 during the Japanese attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor Hawaii. Up until 9/11/2001, it was the largest loss of life in a single attack on the United States of America proper. A total of 2,403 U.S. military & civilians were killed that day during the attack or died as a direct result of it. Only the attacks of 9/11, specifically the attack on the World Trade Center had a higher casualty count at 2,763 (source). Of the casualties at Pearl Harbor, not counting those wounded who survived, the fatalities break down like this by branch of service and civilians:

  

2,008 Navy

218 Army

109 Marines 

68 civilians  

Most of the deaths occurred on one ship. On the USS Arizona, a b battleship, there were 1,177 fatalities (source).

It was a horrific and surprise attack by a vicious  enemy, an enemy that later paid the price, for attacking freedom, in a manner as never seen or even imagined before when, on August 6,1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Then on August 9, 1945, another was set off in the air over Nagasaki, Japan. Those two devastating bombs, it is estimated they killed anywhere from about 130,000 to 240,000 people (mostly civilians) finally brought the Japanese to surrender unconditionally (source).

 While those bombs ended WWII, they also ushered a new age - the atomic age and later to nuclear age in which we still live with the threat of nuclear destruction hanging over our heads each and every day. If there truly is a God in Heaven, I pray God help us that we, or any nation, never again set(s) off another such bomb and pray that no further attacks like the one on 9/11 or the one on Pearl Harbor ever happen again.

Yet, we can be thankful to the brave men and women who died or were injured and of course to those who did not die nor were injured but who fought bravely during the attack at Pearl Harbor. We also should never forget those who  answered the call, that went out after Pearl Harbor, to stand for the USA and battle our enemies until they were defeated.

All the best,

Glenn B