December 7, 1941… A little before 8:00 a.m. (Oahu, Hawaii time), about 180 planes launched from Japanese carriers attacked the American Pacific fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor without warning. The attack, carried out in two waves, cost the lives of about 2400 Americans, 1177 of them alone lost when the USS Arizona exploded and sank. A little over twenty ships were damaged; all but three were eventually returned to service. More than 300 of our aircraft were lost or destroyed. It was a stunning victory for a country to achieve over the United States given how far away Japan was and how poor they were in resources. It was also a costly mistake by Japan as it galvanized America in a way they never expected and brought a unified, resource rich and technologically sound country into World War II.
Why should we remember this attack every year? If for no other reason it would be due to the historical significance of the date in American history… Or to remember yet another sacrifice made for this country by our military personnel… Or to remind us that there are those in the world still today that seek to bring harm through violence to our country and are prepared to do so without warning… Does 9/11 ring a bell?
It was Thomas Jefferson who said, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” It was true then, it is still true today.
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2 comments:
Thanks for the thoughts. I am grateful that you can always be relied upon to remind ivory tower liberals like myself about the flesh and blood that our freedom is built upon. Blessings, brother.
Some of it simply stems from my love of history and the desire to learn from it... Some of it comes from the regret of being talked out of enlisting back in the day by a certain someone (and her mother). Pax, brother.
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