Pearl Harbor t-shirt

Pearl Harbor World War II Short Sleeve 6-oz 100% Cotton Gildan T-Shirt Heather Indigo

Young Marines from Division 4 units are planning a trip in December 2020 to participate in the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade and see the USS Arizona and USS Missouri on the 75th anniversary year of the war's ending. 

Due to the shutdown of local schools, their fundraising efforts have been shortened and their contacts limited. You can help support them with this online order; all profits from this printing will be donated to their trip, to support the history education of Young Marines. 

At Pearl Harbor, the Japanese "awakened a sleeping giant" on 7 December 1941. Other parts of the world were already at war, but in the years after WWI, Americans wanted to stay out of European problems. Few thought much about the increasing reach of Japan's empire. Military units stationed in Hawaii knew tensions were rising, but several alerts in late 1941 were followed by stand-downs, making true readiness difficult.

Even in Japan, many influential Japanese had spent time in the United States, and doubted war with America would work out well. But orders are orders, and the Japanese fleet headed for Pearl Harbor, hoping to knock out American naval ability in the Pacific with a decisive blow.

Such a massive undertaking was hard to organize both secretly and precisely, and, against the intent of Admiral Yamamoto, the attack happened before the declaration of war was officially delivered, infuriating Americans by what was seen as a sneak attack. Suddenly, America wanted to fight: "They began it, we're going to end it!" 

American aircraft carriers were unhurt by the attack, and American industry swung into action. Old ships were replaced by state-of-the-art ships far faster than expected.

By April 1942, the Doolittle Raiders were able to bring the war to Tokyo, but it took three more years of island-hopping campaigns before the Japanese surrender was signed on the deck of the USS Missouri, which is now a museum ship at the site where it all began.