December 7, 1941
December 7, 1941 — the day Pearl Harbor was treacherously attacked by the Japanese — was described by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as “a date which will live in infamy.” It was the worst naval disaster in American history. For four long years, American men and women served and died on the battlefields of Europe and the Pacific, fighting tyranny and eventually bringing liberty across the world.
The attacking planes came in two waves; the first hit its target at 7:53 AM, the second at 8:55 AM. By 9:55 AM, it was all over.
The battleships moored along “Battleship Row” were the primary target of the attack’s first wave. Ten minutes after the beginning of the attack, a bomb crashes through the USS Arizona’s two armored decks, igniting its magazine. The explosion rips the ship’s sides open like a tin can, starting a fire that engulfs the entire ship. Within minutes, she sinks to the bottom taking 1,300 lives with her. The sunken ship remains as a memorial to those who sacrificed their lives during the attack.
By 1:00 PM, the carriers that launched the planes from 274 miles off the coast of Oahu were heading back to Japan. Behind them, they left chaos, 2,403 dead, 188 destroyed lanes, and a crippled Pacific Fleet, that included 8 damaged or destroyed battleships. In one stroke, the Japanese action silenced the debate that had divided Americans ever since the German defeat of France had left England alone in the fight against the Nazi terror.
Approximately three hours later, Japanese planes began a day-long attack on American facilities in the Philippines. (Because the islands are located across the International Dateline, the local Philippine time was just after 5:00 AM on December 8). Farther to the west, the Japanese struck at Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Thailand in a coordinated attempt to use surprise in order to inflict as much damage as quickly as possible to strategic targets.
Although stunned by the attack at Pearl Harbor, the Pacific Fleet’s aircraft carriers, submarines and, most importantly, its fuel oil storage facilities emerged unscathed. These assets formed the foundation for the American response, that led to victory at the Battle of Midway the following June, and ultimately to the total destruction of the Japanese Empire four years later.
Today, as we commemorate Pearl Harbor Day, we are still engaged in a spiritual struggle for the soul of the nation. We should seek God in prayer — seek His wisdom, ask forgiveness for our sins, and lift before Him our honored military and their precious families. Remember to turn to God on this special day.
