Mattie--Pearl+Harbor

** // __ Pearl Harbor __ // ** ** One of the most memorable and surprising events in the U.S. is Pearl Harbor. The attack was planned by the Japanese who had many bombs and nuclear weapons ready for attacks. Thousands and Thousands died from the bombing in Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor was best known as a terrorist attack on the U.S. during WWII. ** **  This event was important because Pearl Harbor is where one of our military bases is. Hawaiians called Pearl Harbor “Wai Momi” or “Pearl waters”. “Battleship Row” was the name of the line of battleships moored along the southeast shore of Ford Island, which is the center of Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1941 this base was destroyed by a surprise attack. The Japanese had attacked the U.S. The attack included about 350 planes filled with bombs and missiles ready for attack (Tanaka). ** **  Roosevelt was president at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. The Japanese had been threatening the U.S. so Roosevelt imposed bans on the export and imports of fuel, steel, and scrap metal from Japan (Tanaka). Once this happened the rest of the world was at war because of the holocaust and a war between America and Japan was bound to happen. ** **  The Japanese air attack came in two waves of at least 170 planes. The first wave had around 183 planes and began at 7:55a.m. (Tanaka). The attack was very devastating as all the planes flew through the air practically blocking the sun. The Navy air bases at Ford Island and Kaneohe Bay, the marine airfield at Ewa, and the Army Air Corps fields at Bellows, Wheeler, and Hickan were all hit, along with the ships moored at Pearl Harbor. ** **  The second attack came around 8:50. It consisted of 170 planes concentrated on Pearl Harbor and Kaneohe Naval Air Station (Tanaka). The attack went on and with no notice of the attack we had nothing to stop them. The attack ended shortly before 10:00a.m. The attack lasted less than two hours after it started (Tanaka). ** **  The nation decided to have a memorial built for the people that lost their lives for our country. Fundraising for the memorial began in 1950. It was a specially picked designer by Alfred Preis. The memorial is a 184-foot structure spanning the center of the Arizona with-out touching it. Just 40 feet of water of water lie between the memorial and the Arizona. The memorial was finished and dedicated on Memorial Day 1962. In the memorial, the Arizona’s 1177 dead passenger’s names are carved in marble. Therefore the attack will forever be remembered in our hearts. **
 * __ Mattie M. __ **** __11/2/10__  **

** Works Cited  ** Parrish, Ann. “Pearl Harbor”. // Geographic Treasures. // 2010.    “Pearl Harbor Oahu.” 2010. Accessed on November 5, 2010< [] Tanaka, Shelley. // Attack on Pearl Harbor. // New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2001.