We must never forget

On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, at 8 a.m., the Japanese Empire launched a sneak attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

The first wave of the attack included 180 Japanese aircraft, including torpedo planes, high-level bombers, dive bombers and fighters. They were followed by a second wave of similar size, but with more dive bombers. The unprovoked attack resulted in the deaths of 2,403 Americans and an additional 1,778 were wounded. Six ships were sunk or destroyed, as were as 169 planes. This marked the first attack on American soil by a foreign power, compelling the United States to enter World War II and eventually lead to what is now referred to “the greatest generation.” President Franklin Roosevelt, in a speech before joint Congress, made the now legendary statement “December 7th, a date that will live in infamy.”