New Exhibit at WW II Museum-- Part 3: Lt. Fox and Rep. Rankin 'It's a Wrong Method to Settle a Dispute'

Another thumbnail sketch is about  Lt. Anne G. Fox who was chief nurse at the Army Nurse Corps at Hickam Field during the Pearl Harbor attack.  She was the first woman to receive a Purple Heart for her actions that day.  She was, however, not wounded, but back them being injured in the line of duty was not the only qualification for the decoration.

When criteria for the honor was changed, Fox was awarded the Bronze Star for her heroism on December 7, 1941.  She died in 1987 at age 93.

While Fox and Miller are in the display for bravery during the action, another person is in it who was not at Pearl Harbor during the attack.  She is U.S. Representative Jeannette Rankin.  She was in Washington, D.C..  A Republican from Montana, she was the only House member to vote against the declaration of war that FDR asked for.

"As a woman, I can't go to war," she said, "and I refuse to send anyone else."

Two days later, she voted "present" when Congress declared war against Germany and Italy.

Of course, this was the end of her political career and she knew it but had no regrets.  "If you're against war, you're against war, regardless of what happens.  It's a wrong method to settle a dispute."

She died in 1973 at the age of 92.

--GreGen

U.S. Declaration of War Against Japan, December 8, 1941-- Part 3: The Actual Declaration

"JOINT RESOLUTION Declaring that a state of war exists between the imperial government of Japan and the Government and People of the United States and making provisions to prosecute the same.

"Whereas the imperial government of Japan has committed unprovoked acts of war against the Government and people of the United States of America.

"Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the state of war between the United States and Imperial Government of Japan which has thus been thrust upon the United States is formerly declared, and the President is hereby authorized and directed to employ the naval and military forces of the United States and the resources of the Government to carry on war against the Imperial Government of Japan, and, to bring the conflict to a successful i, all the resources of this country are hereby pledged by the Congress of the United States."

War on Gerrnany and Italy was declared on December 11, 1941.

--GreGen

U.S. Declaration of War Against Japan, December 8, 1941-- Part 2

The Joint Session of Congress began at 12:30 p.m. on December 8.  President Roosevelt delivered his famous "Day of Infamy" speech.  Then the War Declaration quickly passed in the Senate by an 82-0 vote and then the same happened in the House of Representatives by a 388-1 vote.

Jeannette Rankin, a noted pacifist, was the only nay vote.  Hers is a really interesting story in itself.

President Roosevelt signed the declaration of war at 4:10 p.m. the same day.

--GreGen

U.S. Declaration of War Against Japan, December 8, 1941-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

On December 8, 1941, the U.S. Congress passed this an hour after FDR's Day of Infamy speech.  Immediately following our declaration of war against Japan, its allies, Germany and Italy declared war against us.  Japan had already declared war on the United States the day before.

The Japanese declaration was supposed to be delivered thirty minutes before the attack on Pearl Harbor, but the 5,000-word notification  (known as the "14-Point Message") transmitted to the Japanese embassy in Washington, D.C., had to be transcribed which took too long to deliver it in time.

The United Kingdom had declared war on Japan nine hours earlier due to attacks on Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

--GreGen