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America commemorates the 82nd anniversary of Pearl Harbor: A date of infamy

The Infamous Attack on Pearl Harbor

It was a quiet Sunday⁤ morning when the Japanese ‌ attack‌ planes — known as “Zeros” because their wings were marked with the⁤ same solitary ‍red circle‍ that appears on the Japanese flag — appeared ⁢over the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor.

The attack targeted the battleships that were in the harbor — but missed the opportunity to take out any of the three aircraft carriers ​assigned to​ Pearl,‌ as they⁢ were​ out in the ⁢Pacific on ‌maneuvers at the time.

Japanese fighters also targeted nearby Wheeler Field,⁤ strafing the planes that were parked wing to wing and taking out 188 U.S. military aircraft and damaging ⁤another 159 planes.

Within minutes, the ⁣surprise attack was over⁤ — and the planes disappeared as quickly as ‌they had come — but​ the air over Pearl Harbor​ was thick⁢ with smoke that billowed from crippled and sinking ships. All told, 19 U.S.⁣ Navy ships — 8 of them battleships⁢ — were damaged, disabled, or completely destroyed.‍ The wreckage of the crippled USS ‍Arizona burned for two days.

In less than one hour, 2,403 U.S. military personnel had been ‍killed, along⁢ with 68 civilians. ⁣Among the dead, 2,008 were Navy personnel, 218 were Army personnel, and 109 were U.S. Marines. Another 1,143 military personnel — and 35 civilians — ‌were wounded in the attack as well.

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Within 24 hours, President Franklin ⁣Delano Roosevelt had called on Congress to declare war on the Empire of​ Japan. Congress obliged, with almost a unanimous vote, on⁢ December ‍8, 1941. Three days later, ⁣the United States was also at war⁤ with Nazi Germany.

Eighty-two years after Pearl Harbor, Americans still remember the⁢ day that, as Roosevelt said, would forever “live​ in infamy.”

“Today, we pause to remember ‘a⁤ day that will live in​ infamy’ following a ⁣surprise ​attack at Pearl⁣ Harbor, Hawaii. Join‌ us‍ in saluting the bravery demonstrated⁤ 82 years ago today that ⁢has continued to inspire future generations,” the U.S. Army’s official X account shared a ‍video.

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