With those words, President Franklin Roosevelt told America, and the world, that we had entered the war.
Today is the anniversary of the surprise Japanese attack on the US fleet at Pearl Harbor. Sadly, we no longer even hold ceremonies commemorating that day.
We have raised generation after generation who take what we have for granted and vilify the sacrifices of our forebearers. They make us out to be the bad guys.
Every year there are fewer and fewer of out greatest generation among us. Let us always honor their sacrifices to keep America, and the world, free.
I’d also like to take a moment of silence for the 2402 Americans who were lost on that day, along with the hundreds more, who were wounded during the attack. We are forever in your debt.
Wake Island was attacked nearly simultaneously [albeit over the international date line and thus often recorded as Dec. 8, 1941].
U.S. MARINES and unarmed U.S. civilian construction contractors [the DoD was afraid to arm them for fear they “would be treated like enemy combatants”] fought off Japan for several weeks and had the only repulsion(s) of amphibious landings [3 separate times].
Wake was considered too difficult for the U.S. to recover, and all aid went to Pearl and, on December 23, 1941, the defenders of Wake Island were finally captured and interred or died like dogs.
https://www.amusingplanet.com/2015/02/the-98-rock-of-wake-island.html
That is the reason the U.S. NAVY stood up its fighting Construction Battalions [CBs], The U.S. NAVY SEABEES.
HOORAH !!!
And our fight song recites “And We Promise To Remember, The 7th of December” NOT because of Pearl, but because of Wake.
N E V E R F O R G E T
And
GOD BLESS MY BEES.
“Construimus, Batuimus.”
We Build, We Fight. [What did YOU have in mind?]