Mitsuo Fuchida grew up loving his native
Japan and hating the United States, which treated
Asian immigrants harshly in the first half of the
twentieth century. Fuchida attended a military
academy, joined Japan's Naval Air Force, and by 1941,
with 10,000 flying hours behind him, had established
himself as the nation's top pilot. When
Japanese military leaders needed someone to command
a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, they chose
Fuchida.