Today is the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor that brought us into World War II. I remember that Sunday, being informed by some one in the family who had heard about it over the radio. I as 15 at the time but I knew my life would be changed forever.
Our losses in men, ships and planes are listed in the Times and other newspapers today so I will not repeat them here. But 70 years later many questions have never been answered. We had almost no army but we believed the navy, our first line of defense, could protect us, and our leaders discounted intelligence that, when looked at later, appears clear that Japan was planning to attack us.
Yes, we had a navy, but why was so much of it anchored at Pearl and thus vulnerable to an attack. Our dive bombers were ineffective against the Japanese at the battle of the Coral Sea, but we held our own. It was at the battle of Midway June 4-7 that the navy was victorious over the Japanese fleet and saved this nation, putting Japan on defense until its ultimate defeat.
Our losses in men, ships and planes are listed in the Times and other newspapers today so I will not repeat them here. But 70 years later many questions have never been answered. We had almost no army but we believed the navy, our first line of defense, could protect us, and our leaders discounted intelligence that, when looked at later, appears clear that Japan was planning to attack us.
Yes, we had a navy, but why was so much of it anchored at Pearl and thus vulnerable to an attack. Our dive bombers were ineffective against the Japanese at the battle of the Coral Sea, but we held our own. It was at the battle of Midway June 4-7 that the navy was victorious over the Japanese fleet and saved this nation, putting Japan on defense until its ultimate defeat.
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