They just swept in early that Sunday morning so long ago, 353 Japanese planes on their way to deal a devastating blow to the course of history.
It was Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, “a day that will live in infamy,” as President Franklin D. Roosevelt so eloquently put it.
It’s a day that Americans still remember and observe.
Marine Military Academy will hold a 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Parade Dec. 7 at 4 p.m. on the MMA Parade Grounds.
Veterans from all military branches are encouraged to attend, particularly those who served in World War II.
At 7:48 a.m. that day, the Japanese engaged in a premeditated attack on Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. The aircraft — fighter plans, bombers, and torpedo planes — sank eight U.S. Navy battleships, including the USS Arizona.
Cruisers, destroyers and other ships were also hit, plus 188 aircraft. Caught unaware, the U.S. downed only 29 Japanese aircraft.
Previous efforts toward non-intervention in world affairs melted away when it was learned that, in this unprovoked attack, 2,403 Americans had been killed.
The following day, Roosevelt asked Congress for a Declaration of War.
The involvement of the United States helped the Allies defeat the Axis Powers and officially end World War II approximately four years later on Sept. 1, 1945.
That day, a Japanese officer handed over his sword on the USS Missouri, officially ending the war with Japan.
Thousands of Americans had been imprisoned under hellish conditions, many dying of starvation. Allied troops had suffered similar fates in Nazi concentration camps. Germany had surrendered in May.
The MMA Pearl Harbor Parade, which is the same day as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, is held to remember and honor those 2,403 non-combatant Americans who were killed and also the 1,178 who were injured.
MMA’s battalion-size parades are always held in front of the historic Iwo Jima Monument, a symbol of American pride for veterans and civilians alike.
Although bleacher seating is available, parade-goers may bring lawn chairs.
MMA is located at 320 Iwo Jima Blvd., off of Loop 499, next to Valley International Airport in Harlingen. For more information on the Pearl Harbor Parade, call 956-421-9225.
