Dear Editor,

As the month of December once again is upon us, it doesn’t only mean friends and relatives getting together for a festive holiday season, but it brings something much more grim and alarming into the picture. A picture, that we as Americans should never forget. I am talking about Dec. 7, 1941. One of the blackest times in the history of the United States.

It alarms me when people ask, what is Pearl Harbor? Even the younger generation should be taught to know just what happened on that infamous date in our history. An impressive armada of the Japanese Navy began to gather in November 1941, in the Kurile Islands of Japan. The target: Pearl Harbor and the unsuspecting American fleet.

The American fleet, in Pearl Harbor, consisted of eight U.S. battleships, nine cruisers, 20 destroyers and 41 other vessels.

The Japanese Navy was lying about 200 miles north of Pearl Harbor and consisted of mostly aircraft carriers and other vessels as well. At 7:15 a.m., the Japanese launched an attack with 360 planes.

In less than two hours, the Japanese Navy had sunk or severely damaged eight battleships, three cruisers, three destroyers and had destroyed 188 American aircraft.

The Navy and Marine Corps had over 2,000 men killed with 700 wounded. The U.S. Army had 200 killed and 400 wounded.

Today, lying on the bottom of Pearl Harbor is the U.S. battleship Arizona, with 1,200 U.S. sailors sealed within her hull.

Americans, wherever you are, please do not let another disaster such as this ever happen again.

Let us all be alert, at all times, and before you retire each night, please say a prayer for those who lie sleeping in a place called Pearl Harbor.

I thank you so much, Mr. Editor, for any space in your newspaper that you can give me for this message and my best wishes go to all for a Happy Holiday Season. May God Bless Each One of You!

Most Sincerely,

John Sellers Jr.

St. Clairsville