Pearl Harbor

            The American reaction from Pearl Harbor ranged from anger to fear.
             angry at the Japanese for the bombings of Pearl .
             Harbor and sought revenge. The attack was "behind the back" many people said. Americans .
             awoke to an attack on December 7th, 1941. A massive attack by the Japanese was unleashed .
             upon the U.S. in .
             the Hawaiian Islands at Pearl Harbor. "I was sixteen years old, employed as a pipe fitter .
             apprentice at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard. On December 7, 1941, oh, around 8:00 a.m., my .
             grandmother woke me. She informed me that the Japanese were bombing Pearl Harbor. I .
             said, "they're just practising.' She said, "no it was real and the announcer is requesting that all .
             Pearl Harbor workers report to work. I went out on the porch and I could see the anti-aircraft .
             fire up in the sky. I just said, "Oh boy." (Eyewitness to History) It was 8:00 A.M. when the .
             destruction began. .
             Thousands of Navy personel were sleeping in their vessels when Japan suddenly and .
             deliberately attacked them. Many died in their sleep. The attack came in two waves. At 6:15 .
             A.M the attack begun, it wasn't until 7:40 A.M. that they had located their target. The first .
             attack consisted of 183 Japanese fighters, bombers, and torpedo planes and was split between .
             five targets, Pearl Harbor, Ford Island Nas, Kaneohe Bay, Wheeler Field, and Hickam Field. .
             The second wave came at 8:54 A.M and had 167 more planes to join the battle to make sure .
             their job was done. (Wels 151) .
             President Franklin D. Roosevelt noticed that the Japanese .
             were building naval bases all over territories that they controlled and seeing as this was a threat .
             to the U.S., he immediately cut off their natural resource supply of oil and gases thinking that .
             they could not last economically for very long. In 1941 the U.S tried to come to an agreement .
             to settle their differences but it seemed like war was unescapable. If there was a time to enter .
             World War II, now would be the time.