Pearl Harbor

December 7, 1941
On the quiet Sunday morning of December 7, 1941 no one would have thought that it would be the most devastating day in American history. Just before 8 am the Japanese surprise attacked the American military and naval forces at Pearl Harbor. There were two waves of Japanese airplanes that destroyed 18 of the US battleships and killed or wounded 3,500 American men. When the battleship, the USS Arizona, sank it took over 1,000 men down with it.
Were the Americans warned of this attack? It is said that the US cracked a code from the Japanese and could not get the message about the attack to Pearl Harbor in time. Even the day of the attack the Japanese planes came up on the radar, but were assumed to be US B-17s due to the fact they were flying into the West Coast. So, if the US knew about the surprise attack would they have been able to fight back against the Japanese?
Today, when you take a trip the serene shores of Oahu, you can visit the place where the tragic event happened. You will see the USS Arizona Memorial which was built over the sunken ship. To this day the ship leaks oil into the ocean, and you can see where the American flag flew on that dreadful day.