I bet you did not know all of these 10 Pearl Harbor (Day) facts… or maybe you did

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day occurs on December 7 to remember all our brave soldiers and citizens who were lost during the surprise attack by the Japanese 81 years ago. It was a grim day with some grim realities, but they are things that should still be talked about. With that, because we are just a few days away from Pearl Harbor Day, we wanted to talk about 10 facts about both Pearl Harbor and Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day that we find interesting.

1. America fired first – The USS Ward did a great job spotting a Ko-hyoteki-class midget submarine and took it out. The only downside is that it still did not give the Americans enough warning and time to prepare for what was to come… Oh, and it also led to America’s entrance into World War II.
2. 2,403 – That is the number of American soldiers and citizens who lost their lives during the Pearl Harbor attack. On top of that, an additional 1,178 people were injured. Eighteen Navy ships were also damaged or sunk during the Japanese attack.
3. Pearl Harbor was unfortunately an easy target – Pearl Harbor is essentially in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Because of that and because it was a US territory so close to the United States, it was unexpected that anyone would attack there and start a war. Boy were they wrong.
4. The attack on Pearl Harbor led to many enlistments – 134,000 Americans enlisted in the Army a month after the attacks. This helped add to the already super strong force that was the US Navy.
5. A new lieutenant had a chance to combat the attacks – Kermit Tyler was a new lieutenant with very little leadership experience. When told there were planes flying about, he figured it was the six American bombers scheduled to arrive from California. Shortly after, the massacre unfortunately began.
6. Pearl Harbor is twice the distance from Japan than the United States – You think Japan is very far from the US until you find this out, then you think Pearl Harbor is far from the US. Pearl Harbor is some 2,000 miles from the mainland while it is 4,000 miles from Japan. Wow.
7. The USS Arizona and USS Oklahoma are still battle broken – The USS Arizona was damaged the worst and it suffered the most casualties. The US never attempted to repair the ship because of this, as they instead turned it into the famous memorial seen on shows like Hawaii Five 0. The USS Oklahoma was also pretty well destroyed during the attacks and was never repaired either.
8. Veterans can have Pearl Harbor as their final resting place – For those who survived the USS Arizona attacks, they can be buried with their fellow comrades. This is a unique and awesome way to honor all of the people involved in the Pearl Harbor attack.
9. Pearl Harbor Day is not a public holiday – While special events are held on this day, the government and schools stay open. Take of that what you will.
10. ‘A Date Which Will Live in Infamy’ – Franklin D. Roosevelt said this of the December 7 attacks. He then went on to say that he knew America would get through this day one way or another. He was certainly right.

There is no doubt December 7, 1941, was one of the most grim days in American history. However, we have had the opportunity to learn so much from what happened that day. It has only made us stronger and more prepared, as it should.