Marquette, MI – December 7, 2015 – Americans reeled 74 years ago with the loss of more than 2,400 lives in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The attack came on a Sunday morning without warning and without a declaration of war. The next day, the United States declared war on Japan and entered World War II.
Today in his Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day proclamation, President Obama called the attack “a conflict that would change the course of human dignity and freedom,” saying, “yet the ensuing unification of our people proved mightier than the attack that aimed to weaken us.”
Around the country, Americans observe Pearl Harbor Day remembering those who lost their lives in the attack as well as the families they left behind. At one of the memorial ceremonies today, survivors of the USS Arizona rang the Arizona’s bell in honor of the sailors and Marines who died aboard the ship that day.
Also from Obama’s proclamation, “Seventy-four years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, we endure as a Nation dedicated to affirming the inherent dignity of every person — even in the face of unspeakable violence.
As President Franklin D. Roosevelt said the day after the attack, ‘the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.'”
Take a few minutes today to learn about the history of World War II and how this act was the catalyst that brought the U.S. into the war. Think for a moment how the nation felt when Americans learned of the attack.
Remember those who lost their lives and were injured in the bombing of Pearl Harbor and take a moment to think about the men and women currently serving our country.
