In asking Congress to approve the declaration of a state of war between the United States and Japan, President Franklin Roosevelt said, "Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan....I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost."
The attack killed 2,403 United States personnel, including 68 civilians, and destroyed or damaged 19 U.S. Navy ships. On December 7, 2023, five survivors of the attack returned to Pearl Harbor for a commemorative ceremony. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not keep track of how many survivors are still alive. Two days ago the number decreased by one.
Richard C. Higgins, one of the last remaining survivors of the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, died at the age of 102.
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