December 7, 2011 marks the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
December 7, 2011 marks the 70th a
All together, 2,390 Americans lost their lives in the attack. Twelve ships sank or were beached, and nine were damaged. The U.S. lost 164 aircraft. The attack broke the backbone of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and forced America out of a policy of isolationism. President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced that it was “a date which will live in infamy” and Congress declared war on Japan the morning after. It was the first attack on American territory since 1812.
The bombing of Pearl Harbor and those who died on December 7 in 1941 are being remembered today on the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack that brought the U.S. into World War Two.
About 120 survivors joined Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, military leaders and civilians to observe a moment of silence in Pearl Harbor at 7:55am local time, to mark when the attack began seven decades ago.
Around 3,000 people were expected to attend the event, which is held each year at a site overlooking the sunken USS Arizona and the white memorial that straddles the battleship.
Thanks: Pearl Harbor survivors acknowledge the crowd at a ceremony to observe the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans on Wednesday
Emotional: U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta salutes in the rain after a commemorative wreath was placed at the US Navy Memorial statue in Washington D.C. on Wednesday
Special kiss: A member of the Andrew Sisters styled group 'The Liberty Belles' plants a kiss on the cheek of Pearl Harbor survivor Evan Brasset, at a ceremony at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans on Wednesday
Arms up: World War Two veteran with the Navy WAVES, Helen Coyte, raises her arms as the 108th Army Band performs 'Anchors Aweigh' at the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremonies on Wednesday in Phoenix, Arizona
The Pearl Harbor-based guided missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon rendered honours to the Arizona and blew its whistle to begin a silence that marked when the first Japanese planes began to attack.
F-22 jets flown by the Hawaii National Guard were due to soar overhead in a missing man formation to finish the moment of silence.
Mal Middlesworth, a Marine veteran who was on the USS San Francisco during the bombing, was expected to deliver the keynote address. And President Barack Obama has hailed veterans of the bombing.
‘Their tenacity helped define the Greatest Generation and their valour fortified all who served during World War Two,’ he said - proclaiming Wednesday as ‘National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day’.
‘As a nation, we look to December 7, 1941, to draw strength from the example set by these patriots and to honour all who have sacrificed for our freedoms,’ President Obama added.
Tears: National Parks Service Historian John McCaskill, of Washington D.C., reacts to the national anthem during the Pearl Harbor memorial ceremony on Wednesday
Proud: Pearl Harbor survivor Mal Middlesworth sings the national anthem as he salutes the Color Guard during the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Wednesday
Memories: Bob Hodenson, right, a member of the Sacramento Chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, wipes a tear during a ceremony to honour the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Sacramento, California, while lights are seen to honour its members, right
Together: Pearl Harbor survivors Marvin Rewerts, 89, right, Nelson Mitchell, 91, middle, walk with a wreath to place at the USS Arizona Memorial, as fellow survivor Darnel Rogers, 91, left, looks on, on Wednesday in Phoenix, Arizona
Also this week, five ash scattering and interment ceremonies are being held for five survivors whose cremated remains are returning to Pearl Harbor after their deaths.
On Tuesday, an urn containing the ashes of Lee Soucy was placed on his battleship, the USS Utah, which is lying on its side near the place where it sank 70 years ago.
The ashes of Vernon Olsen, who was on the Arizona during the attack, were due to be placed on his ship later on Wednesday.
The U.S. lost 12 vessels that day, but the Arizona and the Utah are the only ones still in the harbour. The ashes of three others are being scattered in the water in separate ceremonies this week.
There were 2,390 Americans killed in the devastating attack as Pearl Harbor was hit by hundreds of Japanese fighters, bombers and torpedo planes launched in two waves from aircraft carriers.
The attack shocked the U.S. - pursuing a policy of isolationism and staying out of the war - as Japan attempted to prevent the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with its plans in Southeast Asia.
The following day, December 8, the U.S. declared war on Japan after President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the attack 'a date which will live in infamy'.
Instead of deterring the U.S. from stopping Japan's plans to expand its empire, the attack galvanised America and led, ultimately, to the two atomic bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945.
Although tensions between Japan and the U.S. had increased and conflict was expected, most thought an attack would come in the Philippines rather than in Hawaii.
Most of the 12 ships that sank or were beached during the attack have since been taken out of the harbour, their metal hulls salvaged for scrap. Only the USS Utah and the USS Arizona remain there.
Nearly half of those who died were on-board the battleship USS Arizona, which was sunk early in attack by torpedo bombers with the loss of 1,177 of its 1,400 crew.
The USS Arizona Memorial, built over the remains of the ship, now forms a centrepiece of the World War Two Valor in the Pacific National Monument.
Seven of the last known 18 survivors from USS Arizona were expected to be present.Mr Middlesworth, former president of the National Pearl Harbor Survivors' Association, estimates there are around 2,700 Pearl Harbor veterans still alive.
One of them, Lou Gore, describes being confronted by pandemonium after he rushed on deck as an 18-year-old during the attack.He was confronted by flames shooting skyward, roiling clouds of dark, acrid smoke and swarms of fighter-bombers buzzing low overhead as he emerged on the deck of the USS Phoenix.
He said: 'We didn't know (at first) those were Japanese planes. We didn't know what was happening. I just did my job.'
Thousands of Americans gathered in Hawaii on Friday to mark the 71st anniversary of the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had declared it a 'date which will live in infamy' when 2,390 service members and 49 civilians were killed in the early morning assault. The deadly attacks on that fateful day prompted the United States to declare war on the Empire of Japan and millions of men and women from the 'Greatest Generation' answered the call to rise up in defense of freedom in World War II.
Assault: The USS Arizona burns after being hit by a Japanese bomb in Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Friday events also will give special recognition to members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, who flew noncombat missions during World War II, and to Ray Emory, a 91-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor who has pushed to identify the remains of unknown servicemen. Admiral Cecil Haney, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, gave the keynote address, giving examples of courage and heroism of military service members that day. The ceremony also included a Hawaiian blessing, songs played by the U.S. Pacific Fleet band and a rifle salute from the U.S. Marine Corps.
In remembrance: Pearl Harbor survivors, from left, Clark Simmons, of Brooklyn, NY; Aaron Cahbin, of Bayside, NY; Armando Chick Galella, of Sleepy Hollow, NY; Chaplin William Kalaidjain, and Daniel Fruchter, of Eastchester, NY, at a ceremony at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York
In memory: Pearl Harbor survivor Armando Chick Galella, right, age 91, of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., tosses a wreath into the Hudson River during ceremonies at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York
Anniversary: With the USS Arizona Memorial in the background, Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force Commander Seishi Goto reads a historical placard in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Wednesday
Respectful: Though official commemorations were cancelled due to heavy rain, a group of visitors to the World War Two Memorial improvised a wreath-laying ceremony to commemorate Pearl Harbor Day in Washington D.C.
Music: Buglers Jim Mullarkey, left, and Gino Villarreal, centre, perform taps during a ceremony on the USS Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the attacks on Wednesday
Remembered: U.S. Navy sailors perform a flag ceremony for Pearl Harbor survivor Lou Soucy, whose remains were being interned on the USS Utah, during a memorial on Ford Island in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Tuesday
Salutes: Pearl Harbor survivor Edward Borucki participates in the 'Walk of Honor' during the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor at the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Wednesday
Veteran: Pearl Harbor survivor Aaron Chabin, right, salutes while listening to the National Anthem during a ceremony on the USS Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum in New York to commemorate the attacks on Wednesday
Tribute: A U.S. Navy sailor plays taps for Pearl Harbor survivor Lou Soucy, whose remains were being interned on the USS Utah, during a memorial ceremony on Ford Island in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Tuesday
Paying their respects: Hundreds of people attend the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor at the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Wednesday
Honouring: U.S. Navy sailors give a 21-gun salute to Pearl Harbor survivor Lou Soucy, whose remains were being interned on the USS Utah, during a memorial ceremony on Ford Island in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Tuesday
Health update: Among the mementos West Virginia battleship veteran Paul Moore has kept over the years is a postcard he sent home two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941
The 88-year-old's vessel was anchored a short distance from a stretch of the harbour known as Battleship Row, where the Arizona was moored when it was hit. Mr Gore said: 'I'll never forget watching the... USS Arizona battleship jumping up out of the water, landing and rolling on its side.
‘There were bodies everywhere. Brooms floating in the water, canisters. I'm grateful to still be alive. So many lost their lives for no reason... I wish I had been able to save more.'
Veterans of the attack have been laid to rest in the wrecks of the ships they once served in or in the waters of the harbour.
This year, five memorials are being held for servicemen who lived through the assault and wanted their remains placed in Pearl Harbor out of pride and affinity for those they left behind.
Among them was Mr Soucy, 90, whose ashes were taken in a small urn and placed in a porthole of his ship, the USS Utah, during a service yesterday.
War women: Former WWII workers Priscilla Elder, 91, left, who worked in drafting, Marian Sousa, centre, 85, who worked as a electrician, and Marian Wynn, 85, who worked as a welder, smile aboard the USS Iowa in Richmond, California, on Wednesday
Gift: A Navy Region Hawaii Honor Guard member presents a U.S. flag to the family of Pearl Harbor survivor Lee Soucy during an internment ceremony for him on Tuesday in Honolulu, after he died last year at the age of 90
What happened: Map and aircraft illustrations describing Japan's December 7, 1941, attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor
Mr Soucy, the youngest of seven children, was a pharmacist's mate and was trained to care for the sick and wounded. He had just finished his breakfast on that fated morning when he saw planes dropping bombs on airplane hangars.
He rushed to his battle station after feeling the Utah lurch, but soon heard the call to abandon ship as the vessel began sinking. Mr Soucy swam to shore, where he set up a makeshift first aid centre to help the wounded and dying and worked straight through for two days.
The Utah lost nearly 60 men and around 50 of those are still entombed in the ship. The rusting hill of the Utah now sits on its side next to Ford Island - not far from where it sank 70 years ago.
Margaret Soucy, his daughter, said her parents had initially planned to have their ashes interred together at their church in Plainview, Texas.
But he changed his mind after visiting Pearl Harbor in for the 65th anniversary in 2006.
Going down: An image from December 7, 1941, shows the USS Arizona afire and sinking after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Looking back: A picture from December 7, 1941, shows the U.S. Pacific Fleet in flames following the surprise attack by Japanese warplanes at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
She said: 'He announced that he wanted to be interred on the Utah. And my mother looked a little hurt and perplexed. And I said: "Don't worry Daddy, I'll take that part of your ashes that was your mouth and I'll have those interred on the Utah.
'”And you can then tell those that have preceded you, including those that were entombed, what's been going on in the world. And the rest of your remains we will put with mother in the church gardens at St. Mark's.”
'And then my sister spoke up and said: “Yes, then mother can finally rest in peace”,’ she said.
Mr Soucy's three children, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren - 11 in total - attended a sunset ceremony yesterday.
The remains of Vernon Olsen, who was among the 335 to survive the attack on the Arizona, will be interred in a gun turret on the ship this afternoon.
Mr Olsen died in April at the age of 91 after a bout of pneumonia.Pearl Harbor internment and ash scattering ceremonies began in the late 1980s, and started growing in number as more survivors heard about them.
To date, 265 survivors of the attack have been buried or laid to rest there.
A small boat rescues a USS West Virginia crew member from the water after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941 during World War II. Two men can be seen on the superstructure, upper center. The mast of the USS Tennessee is beyond the burning West Virginia. (AP Photo) #
Japanese pilots get instructions aboard an aircraft carrier before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7th, 1941, in this scene from a Japanese newsreel. It was obtained by the U.S. War Department and released to U.S. newsreels. (AP Photo) #
This December 7, 1941 file photo obtained from the US Naval Historical Center shows the Commanding Officer of the Japanese aircraft carrier Hokaku, watching as planes take off to attack Pearl Harbor, during the morning of December 7, 1941. The Kanji inscription (L) is an exhortation to pilots to do their duty. (HO/AFP/Getty Images) #
Japanese soldiers wave at a plane from under their flag December 7, 1941 just before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (Photo by Getty Images) #
This picture, taken by a Japanese photographer, shows how American ships are clustered together before the surprise Japanese aerial attack on Pearl Harbor, on Sunday morning, Dec. 7, 1941. Minutes later the full impact of the assault was felt and Pearl Harbor became a flaming target. (AP Photo) #
A Japanese bomber, its diving flaps down, was photographed by a U.S. Navy photographer as the plane approached its Pearl Harbor objective on December 7. (AP Photo) #
The USS Shaw explodes during the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. (Photo by Newsmakers/National Archive) #
First Army photos of the bombing of Hickam Field, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941. Wreckage of barracks from parade ground off Hangar Ave. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.) #
Officers' wives, investigating explosion and seeing smoke pall in distance on Dec. 7, 1941, heard neighbor Mary Naiden, then an Army hostess who took this picture, exclaim "There are red circles on those planes overhead. They are Japanese!" Realizing war had come, the two women, stunned, start toward quarters. (AP Photo/Mary Naiden) #
Ford Island is seen in this aerial view during the Japanese attack on Pearl harbor December 7, 1941 in Hawaii. The photo was taken from a Japanese plane. (Photo by Getty Images) #
U.S. Sailors stand amid wreckage watching as the USS Shaw explodes December 7, 1941 on Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii during the Japanese attack. (Photo by Getty Images) #
A Japanese bomber on a run over Pearl Harbor, Hawaii is shown during the surprise attack of Dec. 7, 1941. Black smoke rises from American ships in the harbor. Below is a U.S. Army air field. (AP Photo) #
USS Arizona, at height of fire, following Japanese aerial attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.) #
This December 7th file image shows an aerial view of battleships of the US Pacific Fleet consumed by the flames in its home base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii after 360 Japanese warplanes made a massive surprise attack. (HO/AFP/Getty Images) #
The USS Arizona burns during the bombing of Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 in Hawaii. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy/Newsmakers) #
The US Pacific Fleet burns in its home base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii after 360 Japanese warplanes made a massive surprise attack, 07 December 1941. (Photo credit should read STF/AFP/Getty Images) #
White House reporters are dashing for the telephones, on December 7, 1941, after they had been told by presidential press secretary Stephen T. Early that Japanese submarines and planes had just bombed the U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (AP Photo) #
Three U.S. battleships are hit from the air during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Japan's bombing of U.S. military bases at Pearl Harbor brings the U.S. into World War II. From left are: USS West Virginia, severely damaged; USS Tennessee, damaged; and USS Arizona, sunk. (AP Photo) #
Japanese planes over Hawaii during the attack on Pearl Harbor May 4, 1943, are shown in this scene from a Japanese newsreel. The film was obtained by the U.S. War Department and released to U.S. newsreels. (AP Photo) #
Battered by aerial bombs and torpedoes, the U.S.S. California settles slowly into the mud and muck of Pearl Harbor. Clouds of black oily smoke pouring up from the California and her stricken sister ships conceal all but the hulk of the capsized U.S.S. Oklahoma at extreme right. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, DC) #
A Japanese dive bomber goes into its last dive as it heads toward the ground in flames after it was hit by Naval anti-aircraft fire during surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo) #
American ships burn during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1942. (AP Photo) #
Two ships are seen burning after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941 during World War II. (AP Photo) #
Heavy black smoke billows as oil fuel burns from shattered tanks on ships that were hit during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941 during World War II. Visible through the murk is the U.S. battleship Maryland, center, and the hulk of the capsized USS Oklahoma to the right of it. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy) #
The battleship USS West Virginia is seen afire after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. (AP Photo) #
Sailors stand among wrecked airplanes at Ford Island Naval Air Station as they watch the explosion of the USS Shaw in the background, during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. (AP Photo) #
The battleship USS Arizona belches smoke as it topples over into the sea during a Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941. The ship sank with more than 80 percent of its 1,500-man crew, including Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd. The attack, which left 2,343 Americans dead and 916 missing, broke the backbone of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and forced America out of a policy of isolationism. President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced that it was "a date which will live in infamy" and Congress declared war on Japan the morning after. This was the first attack on American territory since 1812. (AP Photo) #
Struck by two battleships and two big bombs, the USS California, right, settles to the bottom during the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 during World War II. (AP Photo) #
USS West Virginia aflame. Disregarding the dangerous possibilities of explosions, United States sailors man their boats at the side of the burning battleship, USS West Virginia, to better fight the flames started by Japanese torpedoes and bombs. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.) #
Firemen and civilians rush to the scene with fire hoses to save homes and stores in the Japanese and Chinese sections of Honolulu, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941. As Japanese aviators rained bombs on Pearl Harbor, starting war in the Pacific, offshore properties are also wrecked and burned. (AP Photo) #
Students of the Lunalilo High School in the Waikiki district of Honolulu watch their school burn after the roof of the main building, at center, is hit by a bomb during the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo) #
Rescue workers help evacuate the Lunalilo High School in Honolulu after the roof of the main building was hit by a bomb during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo) #
Wreckage, identified by the U.S. Navy as a Japanese torpedo plane , was salvaged from the bottom of Pearl Harbor following the surprise attack Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo) #
The wing of a Japanese bomber shot down on the grounds of the Naval Hospital at Honolulu, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo) #
The shattered wreckage of American planes bombed by the Japanese in their attack on Pearl Harbor is strewn on Hickam Field, Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo) #
Wreckage of USS Arizona, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, December 7, 1941. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.) #
First Army photos of the bombing of the Hickam Field, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941. Wreckage of Japanese plane shot down near CCC camp in Wahiawa. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.) #
Wrecked P-40 airplane, at Bellows Field, machine-gunned on the ground, during the bombing of Hickam Field, Hawaii. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.) #
Heavy damage is seen on the destroyers, USS Downes (DD-375) and USS Cassin (DD-372), stationed at Pearl Harbor after the Japanese attack on the Hawaiian island, Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy) #
The jumbled mass of wreckage in front of the battleship USS Pennsylvania constitutes the remains of the destroyers USS Downes and USS Cassin, bombed by the Japanese December 7, 1941 during the raid on Pearl Harbor. (Photo by Getty Images) #
A small crowd inspects the damage, both inside and outside, after a Japanese bomb hit the residence of Paul Goo during the raid on Honolulu Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo) #
A mass of twisted metal wreckage lay along a Honolulu street after the city had been attacked by Japanese planes Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo) #
A damaged B-17C bomber sits on the tarmac near Hangar Number 5 at Hickam Field December 7, 1941 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (Photo by Getty Images) #
This is one of the first pictures of the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. A P-40 plane which was machine-gunned while on the ground. (AP Photo) #
The USS Oklahoma, lying capsized in the harbor following the Japanese attack of December 7, 1941. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.) #
White House reporters listen to the radio in the White House press room as Japan declared war on the U.S., Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo) #
"Japanese cabinet meets in emergency session," is the bulletin shown in Times Square's news zipper in lights on the New York Times building, New York, Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo/Robert Kradin) #
Employees of the Japanese Embassy in Washington close the main gates to their building after the announcement by the White House that Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor, a U.S. possession in the Pacific, Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo) #
Unidentified Japanese men, taken into custody under an order issued by Pres. Franklin Roosevelt, enter the Federal Building in New York, Dec. 7, 1941, accompanied by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (AP Photo/Matty Zimmerman) #
A crowd gathers in the street outside the Japanese Embassy in Washington soon after the bombing attacks on Hawaii and the declaration of war on the U.S., Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo/Max Desfor) #
A Marine stands guard outside the Capitol in Washington, following the Japanese declaration of war on the United States, Dec. 7, 1941. Aiding the Marines were Capitol police. (AP Photo) #
A crowd of young men enlist in the Navy in San Francisco, Calif., Dec. 7, 1941, at the Federal Office Building. (AP Photo) #
Young Japanese Americans, including several Army selectees, gather around a reporter's car in the Japanese section of San Francisco, Dec. 8, 1941. (AP Photo) #
Joe Chiang, Washington correspondent for the Chinese Nationalist Daily, wears an improvised sign that reads "Chinese reporter, NOT Japanese, please" as he shows his press card to a guard and was admitted through a gate to the White House press room in Washington, Dec. 9, 1941. (AP Photo) #
Hundreds of Japanese are shown in a bank located in Terminal Island, San Pedro, Calif., Dec. 8, 1941, trying to learn how new monetary regulations imposed since the outbreak of the war with Japan would affect them. Aliens were not permitted to make withdrawals, while American citizens of Japanese descent were permitted withdrawals only on the first endorsement. (AP Photo/Ed Widdis) #
Rider Joy Cummings examines a Japanese cherry tree that was cut down with the words "To hell with those Japanese," carved into it, Dec. 10, 1941. Irving C. Root, Parks Commissioner, termed it vandalism. In the background is the recently completed Jefferson Memorial. (AP Photo) #
William Banks checks the pocketbook of Gladys Newman of Denver, Colo., before permitting her to enter the Senate Gallery to witness the passage by the Senate of the declaration of war on Germany and Italy, Dec. 11, 1941. (AP Photo) #
A crowd tries to enter the House of Representatives to hear President Franklin Roosevelt speak, Dec. 8, 1941, in Washington. (AP Photo) #
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, appearing before a joint session of Congress termed as unprovoked and dastardly the attack by Japan upon Hawaii and the Philippines and asked for an immediate declaration of war, Dec. 8, 1941. (AP Photo) #
Tense faces of Congressmen, cabinet members, Supreme Court justices, crowded galleries looked to a grim President Franklin D. Roosevelt as he asked for war against Japan, said: "With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us, God." President Roosevelt spoke in the House of Representatives, addressing a joint session of Congress, Dec. 8, 1941. (AP Photo) #
A ceremony to be held tomorrow will come 70 years to the day after the bombing raid over Tokyo led by Lt. Col. 'Jimmy' Doolittle that helped change the course of World War II.
Five men – the last alive of the original Doolittle’s Raiders – will help remember the dead by reading the 75 names engraved on silver goblets.
When the ceremony begins, the jovial banter and storytelling will halt, and guests will be ushered out of the meeting room, the door shutting behind them.
Taking the skies: A B-25 bomber trailed by another and a Japanese Zero makes it's landing approach at Wright Patterson Air Force base in Dayton
Celebrations past: The survivors of the raid gathered in 2010 as well to remember those who had passed, standing in front of a B-25 bomber
Preparations: A ground crewman walks off after chocking the wheels of 'Betty's Dream.' The bomber is one of twenty of the WW-II era B-25's that flew in for the 70th anniversary of the Doolittle raid on Tokyo
The five men, all in their 90s, will come to military-erect attention. Before them will be a wooden display case with 80 silver goblets.
On each, a name is engraved twice: to be read right-side-up - for those still alive - or to be read placed upside-down, in memory of the 75 now dead.
'To those who have gone,' 96-year-old Lt. Col. Richard Cole will toast, raising his goblet high.
The other four surviving Doolittle's Raiders - Maj. Thomas Griffin, Lt. Col. Robert Hite, Lt. Col. Edward Saylor and Master Sgt. David Thatcher - will answer in unison: 'To those who have gone.'Four days of celebration are planned April 17-20 at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force near Dayton, Ohio, including a fly-in of B-25 bombers like they flew.
The raid took place April 18, 1942.
Descent: The B-25 bomber 'Panchito' lands at the base; the daring bombing raid is credited with giving Americans a big morale boost in the Pearl Harbor aftermath
Lined up: Twenty B-25 bombers line up on a runway at Wright Patterson Air Force base.
The stories are many, their bond forged in a daring mission.
'I didn't expect to survive. We should have been shot down,' said Saylor, 92, a Brusett, Montana, native who lives in Puyallup, Washington. Pilots volunteered and trained in Florida for what they only knew was 'extremely hazardous.'
Navigator Griffin, from Green Bay, Wisconsin, got top-secret briefings with pilot David Jones in Washington, just five months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.
Fearless leader: The raid was led by Lt Col James 'Jimmy' Doolittle
The toast ritual grew from early get-togethers led by Doolittle, who died in 1993.
'It is a very private moment,' said Cole, a Dayton native who lives in Comfort, Texas. 'You remember the ones who didn't make it, you think about them, and you are sorry they aren't with us. And then the ones fortunate to still be living trade off stories.'
Next generation: Kristi Lesko, left, flight engineer for the Barbie II and Devil Dog pilot Beth Jenkins pose with the B-25 bomber
Special guests include survivors or relatives of the USS Hornet aircraft carrier crew that launched them and of Chinese villagers who helped save them after the raid.
'We needed to hit back,' recalled Griffin, now 95 and living near Cincinnati.
Once at sea, the rest learned targets - factories, plants, military facilities on mainland Japan.
They knew the uncertainties: what if the Navy task force was attacked? What defences would they face? And with B-25s unable to land on a carrier decks, could they reach friendly bases in China?
'We didn't know we were supposed to be afraid,' summarized Saylor, 22 then.
The Raiders brushed aside Doolittle's assurances that anyone was free to withdraw.
Belly of the beast: Crew members Matt Bongers, left, and Tim Reynolds unload supplies from the bomb bay of the B-25 Devil Dog
Sky high: The crew of the B-25 Executive Sweet take photographs from atop their WW-II bombers
'It was a mission in the war. We did what we were required to do,' said Thatcher, of Missoula, Montana, age 90.
After encountering Japanese patrols, the raid launched ahead of plan, some 200 miles farther from shore for fuel-stretched bombers. Doolittle's plane took off first at 08:20 from a pitching carrier deck.
'It's the Charge of the Light Brigade,' said historian Hugh Ambrose. 'They know that a betting man would probably bet against them ... brave heroism in the face of an enemy that at that time was winning the war.'
They flew low in radio silence, skimming seas and then treetops. Cole recalls the country song 'Wabash Cannonball' running through his head. He tapped his foot in time until Doolittle shot him a questioning look.
Before the attack: Orders in his hand, Capt. Marc A. Mitscher, skipper of the U.S.S. Hornet, discusses details for the take-off of Army members for the Tokyo raid with Maj. Gen. James H. Doolittle, foreground left
Off to battle: A B25 takes off from the USS Hornet on April 18, 1942 to complete the daring attack
Ushering: A man directs on of the planes before the mission
Legions: Several bombers wait on the deck of the aircraft carrier, awaiting departure
They were greeted by anti-aircraft guns and puffs of black smoke. Flak shook planes.
'As we got there, there was no conversation, until the bombardier told Col. Doolittle that the initial bombing target was in sight,' said Cole, who was in the lead plane. 'At that point, Col. Doolittle said to open up the bomb bay doors.'
The bombs dropped, 'and we got the heck out of there.'
'It is a very private moment. You remember the ones who didn't make it, you think about them, and you are sorry they aren't with us. And then the ones fortunate to still be living trade off stories.'
-Lt Col Richard Cole
The danger was just beginning. All 16 planes lacked enough fuel to reach bases and either crash-landed or ditched in dark, rough weather along China's coast south of Shanghai.
'The most scary time for me was standing in a plane at 9,000 feet, in the middle of a pretty bad storm, looking down into a black hole and ready to exit into the unknown,' said Cole.
'I never learned how to swim,' added a chuckling Saylor, who held onto a damaged raft. 'I was raised on a cattle ranch out in Montana.'
Thatcher was aboard the plane dubbed 'The Ruptured Duck,' which crash-landed into water. Pilot Ted Lawson's leg was badly broken, later amputated. They narrowly stayed ahead of Japanese searchers, who killed villagers suspected of helping the Americans.
'We had a lot of near-misses, when they raided places we had been the night before,' said Griffin, now 95 and living near Cincinnati.
Aftermath: The servicemen managed to sink the Nitt¿ Maru, a Japanese patrol craft. Eight Raiders were captured, and three executed. A fourth died in captivity. Three had died off the coast of China. 'The Chinese people were of immeasurable help to us,' Cole reflected. 'If it hadn't been for them, I wouldn't be alive today to tell you about this.'
Although the Tokyo raid inflicted light damage compared to Pearl Harbour, it shook Japanese confidence and uplifted Americans, said Ambrose, author of 'The Pacific.' 'It was a symbolic act,' he said. 'It did wonders for the American people. It was just the sort of calling card that let people understand that ... yes, we're going to do it.'
Surviving Raiders got new assignments. Ten more would die in the war.The Raiders' post-war gatherings have become popular drawing cards for museums, air bases and other locales.
'Young people, parents and their grandparents are there to meet these gentlemen and hear their stories first-hand,' Ambrose said. 'It's a chance to experience living history ... It becomes a part of us.'
Hite, 92, who survived Japanese captivity, had recent health issues, but the Odell, Texas, native and Nashville, Tennessee, resident is expected to attend and join the toast.
'It's going to be special,' said Griffin. 'I can't help but think it's going to be our last big one.'
Six years ago, there were still 16 survivors.
By plan, the last two Raiders living will someday make the final toast. They will sip from cognac vintage 1896 - the year Doolittle was born.
Old friends: In April 2007, Doolittle Raiders Dick Cole, left, and Dave Thatcher walked past the B-25 Bomber at a ceremony in San Antonio, Texas
Silver goblets: Also in 2007, Tokyo Raider Tom Griffin, with the Doolittle Raiders Silver Goblets at his side, greets visitors during the ceremony
The USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, May 16, 2001. Photo by Kevin Winter/Touchstone Pictures/Getty Images. #
Vice Admiral Michael Vitale pauses for a moment in the shrine room of the USS Arizona Memorial during a memorial service for the 69th anniversary of the attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu on December 7, 2010 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On the morning of December 7, 1941 a surprise military attack was conducted by aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy against the U.S. Pacific Fleet being moored in Pearl Harbor becoming a major catalyst for the United States entering World War II. In the devastating attack over 2,400 people were killed and thousands wounded, and dozens of Navy vessels with were either sunk or destroyed. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) #
USS Carl Vinson renders honors as she passes by the Arizona Memorial January 8, 2002 in Pearl Harbor, HI. The Carl Vinson and her battle group are stopping in Hawaii for a port visit before returning home after completing a regularly scheduled deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (Photo by Daniel E. Smith/U.S. Navy/Getty Images) #
A rainbow appears over the sunken USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor December 6, 2003 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Phil Mislinski/Getty Images) #
This image provided by NASA Monday Dec. 7, 2009 shows Pearl Harbor, Hawaii photographed by an Expedition 21 crew member on the International Space Station. This detailed view illustrates the southern coastline of the Hawaiian island of Oahu including Pearl Harbor. (AP Photo/NASA) #
People attend the commemoration marking the 66th anniversary of Pearl Harbor attack December 7, 2007 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. December 7, marks the date in 1941 that the Japanese attacked the U.S. navy base at Pearl Harbor, setting the stage for the U.S. entry into World War II. (Photo by Lucy Pemoni/Getty Images) #
A January 12, 2010 photo shows the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) #
A World War II Japanese "suicide torpedo" is exhibited at the Pearl Harbor historical site and memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii, on November 9, 2011. On December 07, 2011, the US will mark the 70th anniversary of the attack conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. (EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images) #
Military veteran Allen Bodenlos, 90, (R) talks to members of a U.S. Marine firing detail during a memorial service for the 69th anniversary of the attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu on December 7, 2010 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On the morning of December 7, 1941 a surprise military attack was conducted by aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy against the U.S. Pacific Fleet being moored in Pearl Harbor becoming a major catalyst for the United States entering World War II. In the devastating attack over 2,400 people were killed and thousands wounded, and dozens of Navy vessels with were either sunk or destroyed. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) #
Veterans Arthur Herriford and DeWayne Chartier speak during a memorial service for 69th anniversary of the attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu on December 7, 2010 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On the morning of December 7, 1941 a surprise military attack was conducted by aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy against the U.S. Pacific Fleet being moored in Pearl Harbor becoming a major catalyst for the United States entering World War II. In the devastating attack over 2,400 people were killed and thousands wounded, and dozens of Navy vessels with were either sunk or destroyed. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) #
Arthur Herriford and Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie untie the Maile lei dedicating a new Visitor Center on the 69th anniversary of the attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu on December 7, 2010 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On the morning of December 7, 1941 a surprise military attack was conducted by aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy against the U.S. Pacific Fleet being moored in Pearl Harbor becoming a major catalyst for the United States entering World War II. In the devastating attack over 2,400 people were killed and thousands wounded, and dozens of Navy vessels with were either sunk or destroyed. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) #
U.S. Marine Dwight Hanson talks to Pearl Harbor survivor John Latko during a memorial service for 69th anniversary of the attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu on December 7, 2010 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On the morning of December 7, 1941 a surprise military attack was conducted by aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy against the U.S. Pacific Fleet being moored in Pearl Harbor becoming a major catalyst for the United States entering World War II. In the devastating attack over 2,400 people were killed and thousands wounded, and dozens of Navy vessels with were either sunk or destroyed. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) #
Veteran Bernard Comito, Howard Snell, and Ray Brittain salute the colors as they are presented during the singing of the National Anthem at a memorial service for 69th anniversary of the attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu on December 7, 2010 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On the morning of December 7, 1941 a surprise military attack was conducted by aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy against the U.S. Pacific Fleet being moored in Pearl Harbor becoming a major catalyst for the United States entering World War II. In the devastating attack over 2,400 people were killed and thousands wounded, and dozens of Navy vessels with were either sunk or destroyed. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) #
Survivors and current military personnel stand at attention during a memorial service for 69th anniversary of the attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu on December 7, 2010 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On the morning of December 7, 1941 a surprise military attack was conducted by aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy against the U.S. Pacific Fleet being moored in Pearl Harbor becoming a major catalyst for the United States entering World War II. In the devastating attack over 2,400 people were killed and thousands wounded, and dozens of Navy vessels with were either sunk or destroyed. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) #
Veterans Bill Murhleb, Shirley Herriford, and Arthur Herriford speak during a memorial service for 69th anniversary of the attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu on December 7, 2010 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On the morning of December 7, 1941 a surprise military attack was conducted by aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy against the U.S. Pacific Fleet being moored in Pearl Harbor becoming a major catalyst for the United States entering World War II. In the devastating attack over 2,400 people were killed and thousands wounded, and dozens of Navy vessels with were either sunk or destroyed. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) #
National Park Service Ranger Gary Jackson, veteran Woodrow Derby of USS Nevada, and Petty Officer Brooke Cannon attend a memorial service for 69th anniversary of the attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu on December 7, 2010 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) #
Pearl Harbor Survivor Louis Contor greets National Park Historian Daniel A. Martinez aboard the USS Arizona Memorial during a memorial service for the 69th anniversary of the attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu on December 7, 2010 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) #
While standing in front of the partially submerged USS Arizona, Pearl Harbor survivor Edward F. Borucki unveils a banner aboard the USS Arizona Memorial marking the 65th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia) #
Pearl Harbor survivors are honored during the 68th anniversary ceremony of the attack at Pearl Harbor, Monday, Dec. 7, 2009 at Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia) #
World War II Japanese military pilot Zenji Abe touches a memorial wall listing the dead from the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, during a ceremony commemorating the 65th anniversary of the event, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006 in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Abe was part of the second wave of dive bombers that attacked Battleship Row 65 years ago today. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia) #
Paul Goodyear, 88, of Casa Grande, Ariz., bows his head in prayer during the ground breaking ceremony for the USS Oklahoma memorial on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006. (AP Photo/Lucy Pemoni) #
About 4,000 people participate in the 65th anniversary commemoration of the the attack on Pearl Harbor, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Lucy Pemoni) #
U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, a World War II medal of honor recipient, salutes during the 67th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Commemoration in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Lucy Pemoni) #
Herbert Weatherwax of Kailua, Hawaii, wears a bronze star on his Pearl Harbor survivors cap at the 62nd Commemoration of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2003, at the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Lucy Pemoni) #
An amazing set of pictures. Thanks for posting them.
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