That's what I'm trying to figure out!!! I guess they were just really surprised and afterwards, really upset. After Pearl Harbor, the US got involved in WWII. This was a big mistake for the enemy because it threw the US in the war and we quickly won it.
US Soldiers were NOT the first to fire at the enemy at Pearl Harbor. US Sailors were the first men to open fire at the enemy at Pearl Harbor. US Crewmen aboard the US Navy destroyer USS Ward, sank a Japanese Mini-Submarine (Midget Sub) prior to the aerial attack.
The US underestimated the enemy; and the target was there.
The Japanese
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, a Japanese admiral, planned the attack on pearl harbor and was in the atack.
Stealthy enemy movements into attacking positions.
Military necessity; eliminate enemy fleet.
Mitsuo Fuchida Dec 3, 1902 - May 30, 1976
When the US didnt negotiate for peace after Pearl Harbor
For their service George Welch and Kenneth Taylor earned the first Distinguished Service Stars in World War II.http://www.history.com/news/heroes-of-pearl-harbor-george-welch-and-kenneth-taylor
U.S. officials were certain that an attack was coming but the forces in the Pacific - in and around Pearl Harbor - were depleted as many were brought closer to US shores as they expected a more direct attack than on Pearl Harbor. When the attack came, it was at a time that bombers were being relocated to Pearl from California and the wave of planes seen on the radar was mistaken for those relocating rather than as an enemy force on the attack.
The Allies (USA, Canada, Britain, Soviet Union etc.) agreed to pool their resources and fight the Axis powers as a joint operation. Because of the greater industrial output of the USA and the increased manpower, the Allies were able to make inroads towards defeating the enemy which hadn't been possible before.
They were treated like enemy spies by some racist people and then were put into internment camps for 5 years.