On December 7, 1941, a peaceful Sunday morning on the Hawaiian island of Oahu was shattered by an unprovoked attack by the naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor and the aircraft and hangars at Kaneohe, Ford Island, Barbers Point, and Hickam Field. The surprise offensive claimed the lives of 2,403 American service members and civilians and propelled our Nation into the Second World War.
The Japanese mission was designed to cripple our military assets and obliterate the American spirit, but instead, the fatal attacks rallied our shattered citizenry and fueled our resolve. Young men from every corner of our country put their lives and futures on hold and were thrust into bloody and brutal battles of historic consequence that would forever change the world. Although untested in battle, these patriots, still reeling from horror and disbelief, united in a singular mission: to defeat tyranny. The exceptional courage and immeasurable sacrifices of the Greatest Generation secured our way of life and the blessings of freedom for future generations.
In the decades since the “date which will live in infamy,” the aggressor has become our loyal ally and trusted friend. Japan is one of our closest security partnerships, and our military forces work together every day to defend our common interests. We are united by commerce, history, culture, and mutual respect. Our strong alliance is a testament to the transformational power of peace, diplomacy, and democracy.
The lessons learned 84 years ago on that fateful day still resound with America’s exceptional fighting force. We must remain ever vigilant and prepared to annihilate any foe who dares to threaten our liberty. This annual day of remembrance must be held in the highest esteem and reverence as we honor the Americans who laid down their lives to defend our homeland on the island of Oahu and in the battles of World War II.
The Congress, by Public Law 103-308, as amended, has designated December 7 of each year as “National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.”
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 7, 2025, as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. I encourage all Americans to observe this solemn day and to honor our military, past and present, with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I urge all Federal agencies and interested organizations, groups, and individuals to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff in honor of those American patriots who died as a result of their service at Pearl Harbor.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.
Sec. of War Stinson had been warning FDR since early 1941 that his blockade and aggression against Japan in China should rightly be considered "acts of war." The attack most certainly was NOT unprovoked. Add to that the code was broken months earlier, the attack was known of in advance, FDR's big business friends DESPERATELY needed US involvement in the war DESPITE the OVERWHELMING OPPOSITION among the American public, and basically what you had was FDR SACRIFICING thousands of men to keep his financial supporters happy. "Day of Deceit" is probably the best book coving a lot of this. Just another tragedy of human sacrifice for the benefits of the political class.
ReplyDeleteWhile history seems to support your post, maybe a moment of RESPECT for the poor non-historic people that were attacked by what was TO THEM a surprise attack?
DeleteHow does making sure that people remember the TRUTH of the incident NOT show respect for those killed? The BEST way to honor the lives lost to political LIES is to expose them and ideally keep them from being used again to sacrifice more innocent lives.
DeleteFDR wanted to enter the war in Europe. After Dec 7, the US declared war on Japan only, and likely would have focused solely on them except Hitler, in the worst decision in history, declared war on the US, allowing FDR to focus first on Europe. Seems like a real stretch to think that FDR planned all that out.
DeleteGermany's treaty with Japan was well-known before Dec. 7. Hitler simply honored his agreement with Japan. No, not a stretch at all.
DeleteMr Liberty some people find a way to be offended by everything. Some younger people don't know what really happened and we have to tell them because the schools won't.
DeleteTripartite Pact Article 3 stated:
Delete“Japan, Germany, and Italy … undertake to assist one another with all political, economic and military means if one of the Contracting Powers is attacked by a Power with which it is not at war…”
Japan was not attacked. They were the attacker.
1:03, read the top post again, real slow this time.
DeleteThe attack generated a response by our Congress which was a declaration of war...that generated a response from Germany. Pretty predictable.... And yes, it is unfortunate that far too many need to romanticize the events of Dec. 7 instead of treating it like the act of TREASON by FDR that it was, or remember it as a day of massive betrayal by our own government. But to realize that government is the greatest evil created by man is more enlightening than romanticizing the deaths of a couple of thousand victims and pretending that government is a good thing.
DeleteYou’re free to believe that FDR was super genius who manipulated the whole world to his will. I tend to think that he was a fool. YMMV.
DeleteCW thanks for sharing your family's part of this event.
ReplyDeleteThe memorial is an incredible experience. Make it a priority to visit when you are in this part of the world.
ReplyDeleteI have. I've also seen the museum at Peace Park in Hiroshima. My wife's family were survivors of the Hiroshima bombing, my dad was a P-47 pilot in Europe who would have been sent that way to support the invasion, and my uncle was a Marine who had already survived the invasions of Peleliu and Okinawa.
DeleteI look at the news and wonder if we have learned anything.
Life is always interesting. My Father in Law was a radarman on USS Cabot, CVL-28. She attacked by two kamikazes, one hit the flight deck and the other was shot down alongside. In the same manner, the attacker didn't hit exactly where he was aiming and the result many years later my wife and I met.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to all.
Dave
My father was 17 at the time. He left high school to join the Navy and was training for the invasion of Japan when the nukes went off, so here I am. There is quite a history on that invasion; the sanctions against Japan yes but you must read about what Japan did to China and the Chinese to see why. I still have the Chicago newspaper from that day that my dad gave me.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad was drafted about two weeks after he turned 18 and had graduated from the Manhattan School of Aviation Trades. He was for all intents and purposes an A/P mechanic so the Army made him a ground pounder and off to basic he went. In grenade training the recruit next to him dropped his grenade and my Dad scooped it away as trained. The grenade went off about 1 foot from his hand and since training grenades only had the primer charge blew brass shrapnel into his hand. This was fortuitous as he lost a week recuperating and was moved back to the next training class. His class got to support the Iwo Jima invasion. and he got to liberate the Phillipines with MacArthur. As he was training for the invasion of Japan the bombs went off and he got to spend 2 years in the Army of Occupation. And some time later I was born. Yeah Dad!
DeleteSpin
My paternal grandfather rejoined the Navy after Pearl Harbor, it was his second world war. At his age and history of TB he probably shouldn't have and his death shortly after the end of the war was service related.
ReplyDeleteI found my fathers seamans papers a few years ago, in Oct 1945 at the age of fifteen he went to sea in the merchant marine. Without the bomb, he'd likely have been in the Navy too and pushing landing craft towards the shore of Honshu.
Sixty years after the war my Aunt Mary come to live with me and my wife, a dependent of our family her whole life, she had been taken in by my father in the fifties and lived with him and my mother until he died. She was still receiving social security under her fathers SS number as the dependent child of a war causality.
As with many other American families, WWII had a profound effect on us all for a very long time after the last gun fired.
My wife's father, and my father, were combat infantry training for the invasion when the bombs were used. Expected casualties for the US forces were high.
ReplyDeleteSo maybe the decision to drop the bomb is the reason my wife and I are here.
I'm here only because the war ended when it did. My Dad, a fighter pilot, survived an attack one night on Iwo Jima by hundreds of suicidal Japanese, but he didn't expect to survive the planned invasion of Japan. He fully expected that by the end of 1946 he would be killed in the air, or be shot down and then either die in the crash (maybe by drowning) or be captured alive and tortured to death. He was extremely happy to come home.
ReplyDeleteDon
My oldest Uncle went into the Army and became a supply Sargent for Patton in Europe. My other Uncle served o the Missouri from the time it was commissioned until 47 and was part of the gun crew that the signing was under. Neither were injured. My Dad entered the Marines mid 43 and went to the Pacific and Island Hopped until he was blown up on Okinawa, he then spent over a year in two Naval Hospitals in traction while they worked on him. His scars were horrific from the left shoulder to right hip and all down his legs. My Dad would go into the VA every 6 months to be put into traction and weights to straighten his back. All 3 have died now.
ReplyDeleteOn Dec 9th 1941 my Dad was on a troop ship bound for Australia along with his aircraft maintenance company. From AUS his company deployed to New Guinea participating in the defense of Port Moresby. Dad was an aircraft mechanic working mostly on B-17's.
ReplyDelete4 of 5 of my Uncles served. One was shot down in a B-17 over Germany and served the remainder of the war as a guest of the Luftwaffe.
Nemo