HONOLULU, HI. – “A date which will live in infamy,” on December 7, 1941 hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked American troops at the naval base at Pearl Harbor.
About 20 American naval vessels were destroyed and more than 3,600 American military men and women lost their lives or were wounded.
The surprise attack prompted President Franklin D. Roosevelt to ask Congress for the United States to join World War II. Japan and the U.S. had been dealing with tensions and were edging towards war for decades prior to the Pearl Harbor attack, according to the History Channel.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the attack. There will be events around Hampton Roads in remembrance of this day in history.
One of the events includes a Pearl Harbor survivors ceremony at JEB Little Creek-Fort Story.