“7. “December 1941 – a date that will live on in infamy.” These are the words President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed to the nation the day after Japan’s surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Just hours after Roosevelt addressed Congress and the nation, the United States entered World War II. Saturday marked the 83rd anniversary of the surprise attack. The White House issued a statement that said, in part: “We salute the absolute courage of the service members who fought to defend democracy and resist fascism abroad in World War II after this painful and unprovoked attack Today, we must be guardians of their mission and bearers of the flame of freedom that they always kept burning bright. That begins with fulfilling our sacred obligation to care for our service members and veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors—especially our World War II veterans, whose actions ensured that democracy endured. According to the U.S. Department of Defense website, the attack on Pearl Harbor “killed or wounded more than 3,500 American soldiers and civilians, severely damaged the fleet, and shocked the nation.” The attack on Pearl Harbor, according to the department’s website, was a result of deteriorating relations between the two countries, which led to war. “In response to the Japanese conquest of parts of China and all of French Indochina and the accession of Imperial Japan to the Axis.” When the United States joined Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy among the powers, it stopped the supply of oil and other raw materials in the resource-poor island nation,” says the website. “To maintain its growing power, Japan developed a plan to conquer oil-rich areas throughout Southeast Asia.” However, the plan was threatened by the U.S. Pacific Fleet, which moved from California to Pearl Harbor in 1940. Because of this move, Japanese leaders decided to launch a surprise attack on the fleet so as not to hinder their military’s larger offensive. The ministry’s website also said this attack was not the only one planned by Japanese forces against the United States. The website said that the following day, December 8, Japanese forces carried out “surprise attacks on U.S. and British bases throughout the Pacific, including the Philippines, Guam, Wake Island, Malaya (now part of Malaysia ) and Hong Kong. August 8, 1941 was the day Japan officially declared war on both the United States and the British Empire. Further information can be found on the US Department of Defense website here.