[Vulture6]

Most everyone knows what happened at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, and commemorations were held across the country yesterday to remember the attack that finally drew the US into WWII combat. Unfortunately, we are losing our remaining veterans of WWII at a rapid rate, and many in today's society have but glancing knowledge of the events of WWII that helped shape what this nation (and this world) has become.

Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese bombers attacked the American outpost at Wake Island. Although the attacks occurred within hours of each other, the attack at Wake was on 8 December, since Wake is on the other side of the international date line. What follows is a brief account of the stand by the Marines and Sailors of Wake Island in December 1941.

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