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AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar - Deployed Airmen at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, remember the fallen on National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
Just before 8 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, 320 Japanese war planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii.
The attack destroyed nearly 20 naval vessels, 200 airplanes and killed more than 2,000 service members.
The Japanese hoped to cripple the U.S. naval fleet and launched a vicious two-hour attack in an attempt to do just that. Only 10-minutes into the battle, an 1,800-pound bomb smashed through the deck of the battleship U.S.S Arizona. The bomb landed in the ship’s ammunition magazine causing the ship to explode and sink with more than 1,000 men on board.
Every battleship in Pearl Harbor was either destroyed or suffered significant damage.
On Dec. 8, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan.
Congress quickly approved the request and three days later Japanese allies Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.
Today, the 74th anniversary of the attack is known as Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and the U.S. flag is flown at half-staff on all military installations as a way to honor the soldiers and sailors who lost their lives.
“We will never forget that fateful day in 1941,” said Brig. Gen. Darren James, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing commander. “The 379th is faithful to the proud heritage of heroes that strengthened our nation’s resolve through their example of service and sacrifice from that day forward.”
“We remember the bravery displayed by so many on that day as they tried desperately to save their fellow man,” James said. “We remember valor like that of U.S. Navy Lt. John Finn, one of 15 men who earned the Medal of Honor for displaying incredible bravery during battle at Pearl Harbor.”
Finn manned a .50-caliber machine gun in an exposed section of an aircraft parking ramp which was under heavy enemy fire. Despite being wounded many times Finn continued to man the gun until ordered to seek medical attention. Following first aid treatment, fighting through serious pain and moving with great difficulty, Finn supervised the rearming of returning planes.
Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Good, 379th AEW Command Chief, said today’s Airmen honor the service members lost at Pearl Harbor with their service today.
“We stand on the shoulders of those great patriots, we must continue to honor their legacy, and never forget their sacrifice,” Good said.
The Japanese weren’t successful in destroying the U.S. naval fleet. The U.S. Navy recovered from the attack on Pearl Harbor to win important battles in WWII, including the Battle of Midway in June 1942, which many experts believe was a critical turning point of the war.
During the four-day battle the Japanese navy suffered severe losses. Four Japanese aircraft carriers were sunk, 322 aircraft destroyed and more than 5,000 Japanese sailors died in the fighting.
Japan surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945, bringing WWII to an end. The war was the largest armed conflict in history and covered six continents. An estimated 50 million people died during the war.
| Date Taken: | 12.07.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 12.07.2015 08:25 |
| Story ID: | 183658 |
| Location: | AL UDEID AIR BASE, QA |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Remembering Pearl Harbor, by TSgt James Hodgman, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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