Pearl Harbor Day Published Dec. 6, 2009 GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind., -- It was 68 years ago today that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, killing more than 2,400 Americans and leading the United States into World War II. The surprise raid took place in the morning hours of Dec. 7, 1941. Did you know? -- President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared Dec. 7, 1941, "a day which will live in infamy" and signed the Declaration of War against Japan the following day. --Germany declared war on America four days after the raid on Pearl Harbor. --Of the eight battleships based at Pearl Harbor, five were either sunk or sinking. The other three, along with other ships and aircraft, were badly damaged. --By inflicting heavy damage on the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Japan hoped to eliminate America's naval forces as a threat. --Four years after the Pearl Harbor attack, all but three of the ships sunk on Dec. 7 were repaired and back on duty. --The USS Arizona Memorial, which was dedicated in 1962, is the final resting place for 1,102 sailors that were killed during the attack. In total, more than 2,400 Americans died during the raid.
