Final Research Paper - 0 views

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  #1 Cole S on 14 May 13

   

  I had just finished brushing my hair and I was about to walk downstairs to head to church when a huge shock wave and deafening noise threw me to the ground. I struggled back up as my eyes searched for my family. They were alright, but just as shocked as I was. We quickly ran to the window to see what was going on, but as I got there another explosion threw me out the window. I felt a sharp pain as if I was being cut in a hundred different places as I fell to the ground. I watched my family rush out the door to see if I was okay. A few seconds later I blacked out. This was the beginning of the worst day of my life. "A date which will live in infamy", said Franklin Delano Roosevelt. December 7, 1941, the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The bombing of Pearl Harbor was one of America's most tragic events because of the terrifying destruction the attack caused. One reason for this was because of how much destruction was brought upon the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Another reason for this was because of how much damage was done to airfields. A final reason was because of the thousands of lives that were lost. When I woke up I was looking at my family, who had then realized that I was okay except for a bunch of cuts on my arms and legs. I immediately ran to the door with my family chasing after me and stopped as I witnessed the most horrifying sight in my entire life, the U.S. Pacific Fleet being destroyed right before my eyes. One reason that the bombing of Pearl Harbor was one of America's most tragic events is because of the amount of destruction done to the U.S. ships. One of the most tragic ship destructions was the exploding of the U.S.S. Arizona. The Arizona exploded due to having a bomb penetrate the powder magazine. The explosion killed thousands of people and put on a firework show of death. Another ship that had a tragic destruction was the U.S.S. Oklahoma. The battleship wasn't even a target for the Japanese, but because the enemy pilots thought that it was an aircraft carrier they dropped multiple bombs on it that caused it to capsize. Some men were trapped under the Oklahoma, finally emerging three days later. The U.S.S. Nevada was not destroyed, but it was one of the most damaged ships. The Nevada was hit by many bombs and a few torpedos, but still above the water, the struggling ship made a dash for the ocean. When the crew realized that they could not reach the ocean without being destroyed the ship was forced to beach itself. According to Jennifer Rosenberg, in addition to the air attack five Japanese midget submarines were launched into Pearl Harbor, however, they were all sunk. As I watched the ships being destroyed an explosion lifted me off my feet. I had just gotten back on my feet when another bomb smashed into the land somewhere. I was thrown onto the ground so many times that I lost count. I quickly located all of my family members when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a rain of bombs smash into the airfield. I watched in horror as the airfield was torn apart by the explosions. Another reason that the bombing of Pearl Harbor was one of America's most tragic events is because of how much damage was done to the airfields. Many planes were trying to take off, but did not succeed. By the time the pilots figured out what was going on it was already too late. Hundreds of planes never even left the ground without being destroyed, and even the ones that did make it into the air struggled to shoot down enemy planes. According to The History Place, radar operators detected the Japanese air attack force heading for Pearl Harbor, but they were told to ignore it, for they assumed that the force was a wave American B-17 planes that were expected to come from the U.S. west coast. When the real B-17 planes arrived, they were unaware of the attack. They were unarmed so that they wouldn't have to carry extra weight, but when they arrived all they could do was helplessly dodge enemy planes and try to find somewhere to land. Since the airfield was being bombed they had to find other places to land. One was forced to land on a golf course. The airfield was the one of the Japanese main targets. They were successful in demolishing it. Japanese bombs tore the airfield apart, making it impossible to get planes in the air for weeks. This was part of the reason the Japan was victorious that day. I turned my gaze from the airfield just when another bomb hit the ground. I flew through the air like the enemy planes and fell to the ground. That bomb had hit the neighborhood next to mine. I heard the screams of people from every direction as bombs smashed into the ground. Everything around me was a mix of red, yellow and orange explosions. I sprinted back towards my family and my house. I never looked back. A final reason that the bombing of Pearl Harbor was one of America's most tragic events was because of the thousands of lives that were lost. According to Jennifer Rosenberg, since it was early Sunday morning, many people were asleep, eating, or going to church during the attack. They were totally unaware that they were being attacked by the Japanese. The number of civilians that were killed is 68. The reason that so many civilians died was because of misfired bombs that hit incorrect targets. It is very devastating and it shows that we should be thankful that the bombs we have today can hit an exact target. About 2,335 servicemen were killed during the attack. "Included are 1,104 men aboard the Battleship USS Arizona killed after a 1,760 pound bomb penetrated into the forward powder magazine causing catastrophic explosions," says The History Place. The servicemen and women that defended Pearl Harbor did not die in vain. They died for their country and they will be remembered for their bravery for decades to come. Hundreds of the servicemen that were killed didn't even see combat, and some didn't even know that Pearl Harbor was being bombed. These men and women were eating in mess halls and getting ready for their day. It is very devastating that so many people died before they even knew what was going on. A few days after the attack, my family and I were flown from Pearl Harbor to an air base in California. From there we were taken to Memphis, Tennessee, where we would live for the rest of our lives. When I found out that the U.S. had declared war I was not one bit surprised. When the war was over I was very relieved, but to this day I always remember the day Pearl Harbor was bombed, December 7, 1941. The bombing of Pearl Harbor was one of America's most tragic events because of the terrifying destruction the attack caused. "After just two hours of bombing, more than 2,400 Americans were dead, 21 ships had either been sunk or damaged, and more than 188 U.S. aircraft destroyed", says Jennifer Rosenberg. When I think about the attack on Pearl Harbor a few questions come to mind. Would there have been a war if the Japanese hadn't bombed Pearl Harbor? Would the U.S. have declared war first if Japan had not attacked Pearl Harbor? Most likely there still would have been a war even if the Japanese had not attacked Pearl Harbor because the U.S. and Japan had been arguing for a while. If Japan had not attacked Pearl Harbor America would not have been the first to declare war because the U.S. was trying to find a peaceful way to stop the arguments between it and Japan. Eventually, Japan would have gotten so tired of negotiations that they would have been the first to declare war.

   

  <div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">I had just finished brushing my hair and I was about to walk downstairs to head to church when a huge shock wave and deafening noise threw me to the ground. I struggled back up as my eyes searched for my family. They were alright, but just as shocked as I was. We quickly ran to the window to see what was going on, but as I got there another explosion threw me out the window. I felt a sharp pain as if I was being cut in a hundred different places as I fell to the ground. I watched my family rush out the door to see if I was okay. A few seconds later I blacked out. This was the beginning of the worst day of my life. "A date which will live in infamy", said Franklin Delano Roosevelt. December 7, 1941, the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The bombing of Pearl Harbor was one of America's most tragic events because of the terrifying destruction the attack caused. One reason for this was because of how much destruction was brought upon the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Another reason for this was because of how much damage was done to airfields. A final reason was because of the thousands of lives that were lost. When I woke up I was looking at my family, who had then realized that I was okay except for a bunch of cuts on my arms and legs. I immediately ran to the door with my family chasing after me and stopped as I witnessed the most horrifying sight in my entire life, the U.S. Pacific Fleet being destroyed right before my eyes. One reason that the bombing of Pearl Harbor was one of America's most tragic events is because of the amount of destruction done to the U.S. ships. One of the most tragic ship destructions was the exploding of the U.S.S. Arizona. The Arizona exploded due to having a bomb penetrate the powder magazine. The explosion killed thousands of people and put on a firework show of death. Another ship that had a tragic destruction was the U.S.S. Oklahoma. The battleship wasn't even a target for the Japanese, but because the enemy pilots thought that it was an aircraft carrier they dropped multiple bombs on it that caused it to capsize. Some men were trapped under the Oklahoma, finally emerging three days later. The U.S.S. Nevada was not destroyed, but it was one of the most damaged ships. The Nevada was hit by many bombs and a few torpedos, but still above the water, the struggling ship made a dash for the ocean. When the crew realized that they could not reach the ocean without being destroyed the ship was forced to beach itself. According to Jennifer Rosenberg, in addition to the air attack five Japanese midget submarines were launched into Pearl Harbor, however, they were all sunk. As I watched the ships being destroyed an explosion lifted me off my feet. I had just gotten back on my feet when another bomb smashed into the land somewhere. I was thrown onto the ground so many times that I lost count. I quickly located all of my family members when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a rain of bombs smash into the airfield. I watched in horror as the airfield was torn apart by the explosions. Another reason that the bombing of Pearl Harbor was one of America's most tragic events is because of how much damage was done to the airfields. Many planes were trying to take off, but did not succeed. By the time the pilots figured out what was going on it was already too late. Hundreds of planes never even left the ground without being destroyed, and even the ones that did make it into the air struggled to shoot down enemy planes. According to The History Place, radar operators detected the Japanese air attack force heading for Pearl Harbor, but they were told to ignore it, for they assumed that the force was a wave American B-17 planes that were expected to come from the U.S. west coast. When the real B-17 planes arrived, they were unaware of the attack. They were unarmed so that they wouldn't have to carry extra weight, but when they arrived all they could do was helplessly dodge enemy planes and try to find somewhere to land. Since the airfield was being bombed they had to find other places to land. One was forced to land on a golf course. The airfield was the one of the Japanese main targets. They were successful in demolishing it. Japanese bombs tore the airfield apart, making it impossible to get planes in the air for weeks. This was part of the reason the Japan was victorious that day. I turned my gaze from the airfield just when another bomb hit the ground. I flew through the air like the enemy planes and fell to the ground. That bomb had hit the neighborhood next to mine. I heard the screams of people from every direction as bombs smashed into the ground. Everything around me was a mix of red, yellow and orange explosions. I sprinted back towards my family and my house. I never looked back. A final reason that the bombing of Pearl Harbor was one of America's most tragic events was because of the thousands of lives that were lost. According to Jennifer Rosenberg, since it was early Sunday morning, many people were asleep, eating, or going to church during the attack. They were totally unaware that they were being attacked by the Japanese. The number of civilians that were killed is 68. The reason that so many civilians died was because of misfired bombs that hit incorrect targets. It is very devastating and it shows that we should be thankful that the bombs we have today can hit an exact target. About 2,335 servicemen were killed during the attack. "Included are 1,104 men aboard the Battleship USS Arizona killed after a 1,760 pound bomb penetrated into the forward powder magazine causing catastrophic explosions," says The History Place. The servicemen and women that defended Pearl Harbor did not die in vain. They died for their country and they will be remembered for their bravery for decades to come. Hundreds of the servicemen that were killed didn't even see combat, and some didn't even know that Pearl Harbor was being bombed. These men and women were eating in mess halls and getting ready for their day. It is very devastating that so many people died before they even knew what was going on. A few days after the attack, my family and I were flown from Pearl Harbor to an air base in California. From there we were taken to Memphis, Tennessee, where we would live for the rest of our lives. When I found out that the U.S. had declared war I was not one bit surprised. When the war was over I was very relieved, but to this day I always remember the day Pearl Harbor was bombed, December 7, 1941. The bombing of Pearl Harbor was one of America's most tragic events because of the terrifying destruction the attack caused. "After just two hours of bombing, more than 2,400 Americans were dead, 21 ships had either been sunk or damaged, and more than 188 U.S. aircraft destroyed", says Jennifer Rosenberg. When I think about the attack on Pearl Harbor a few questions come to mind. Would there have been a war if the Japanese hadn't bombed Pearl Harbor? Would the U.S. have declared war first if Japan had not attacked Pearl Harbor? Most likely there still would have been a war even if the Japanese had not attacked Pearl Harbor because the U.S. and Japan had been arguing for a while. If Japan had not attacked Pearl Harbor America would not have been the first to declare war because the U.S. was trying to find a peaceful way to stop the arguments between it and Japan. Eventually, Japan would have gotten so tired of negotiations that they would have been the first to declare war.</div>

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