In the mist of our preparations for holiday celebration, it is important that all Americans stop to acknowledge this day and it's significance in the history of our country.
On a Sunday morning, December 7th, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack against the U.S. Forces stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. When it was over, a total of 2,403 were dead, including 68 civilians. Another 1,143 servicemen and 35 civilians were wounded.
When I remember this infamous day, I can only pause to celebrate the freedoms that so many have died to preserve. It is because of the sacrifice of the many who died on that day, and the many more who continued to sacrifice and die in battles fought so far away, that I can celebrate my freedom.
And to the thousands of men and women that were a part of the Greatest Generation of Americans, who served our nation in the wake of Pearl Harbor, including the members of my family, please accept my heartfelt thanks.
(Click on the photos below to see a larger image.)
The first photo, National Archives #80G32574, shows the USS Shaw in floating dry dock, after being hit during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
One of a series of four photographs showing the exact moments that magazine of the USS Shaw exploded. National Archives #80G32573
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