December 7, 1941 is truly a date to remember. The attack on Pearl Harbor caused so much trauma and damage to the Army, Navy, and even the country itself. This tragic event took America off the stands and straight into World War II. Did you know that plans for a surprise attack on the United States began as early as January 1941? Did you know that Japan also specifically chose to attack on a Sunday because they thought the Americans would be less vigilant? In December 1941, the Japanese army had 2,400,000 ground-trained soldiers and an air force of 7,500 aircraft. The United States, however, was obliged to produce much of the war material for Europe. The United States therefore only had 1,500,000 troops on the ground, 1,157 combat aircraft and 347 warships. Only 500,000 ground troops were ready for combat. The American Pacific Fleet was quite large and Japan believed it posed a threat. A surprise air attack would be just what Japan needed to wipe out the fleet. On October 16, 1941, Hawaii received a message from the navy: Japan might attack. Disagreeing with the warning, Washington's army headquarters asked Hawaii to ignore it. No one believed that Japan was or could have been about to attack. Washington assumed that Japan had no maritime aircraft capable of competing with the Army's B-24 bombers. Additionally, they believed that Japan had spread its army too thinly across other countries, leaving not enough room for a full-scale attack in the Pacific. Even the night before the attack, the Honolulu press expressed the American belief that Japan was impotent as a threat. What's more, none of the American authorities believed that Pearl Harbor was in danger. No one saw the need for... middle of paper ......e down, impossible to recover. Oil is still leaking from the USS Arizona today. A planned trip to the continent later in the month required filling Arizona in preparation. The day before the attack, nearly 1.5 million gallons of fuel had been loaded into the ship's tanks. Much of the fuel fueled the ship's explosion and fire the next day. But throughout the 70 odd years, the Arizona continued to dump about 9 gallons of oil into the port every day. Words cannot describe the terrible loss and heartbreak caused by this day. Looking back, it seems easy to point to times when the attack could have been avoided or the United States could have been better prepared. Instead, we look back to remember those lost and to ensure that this day never happens again. Roosevelt's words will remain eternally linked to our memory of that day. "A date that will live in infamy.”