I have been busy with my family and I have been remiss in not writing sooner about Pearl Harbor Day, Thursday, Dec. 7.
On this day on a Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese, in a surprise attack, bombed Pearl Harbor, “a date which will live in infamy,” relentlessly killing 2,403 people and wounding 1,000 people.
Frank Delano Roosevelt, who was president at that time, the next day sought a declaration of war from Congress against Japan.
On that same Sunday, Japan was also attacking Guam, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaya. The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor destroyed and damaged 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships and over 300 airplanes.
At this time America and the American people united in their determination to go to war, and unified their efforts to fight the war effort at home.
As history shows, that is exactly what happened, and that generation of Americans is considered the “Greatest Generation,” which I feel privileged to be part of.
I was 12 years old on that day, and I will never forget the impact of that “day of infamy” and the impact it had on me and my family.
Lois Eisenberg
Valencia
