It’s December 7, the 71st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and I’m glad to see it is being remembered. Recent events have caused me to worry that this country has still not learned the lessons of World War II, or 9/11.
It’s hard to believe Pearl Harbor was that long ago, as the memories of it were vivid during my childhood and have remained alive since. There are still a few Pearl Harbor survivors, but their numbers are dwindling rapidly. The best way to honor them is to try to make sure that something like that never happens again. The problem is that it already happened again, in the form of the September 11 attacks. The recent al Qaida Benghazi terrorist attack in which Americans were murdered, while not as bad as Pearl Harbor, is a vivid reminder of what happens when we let our guard down.
And if we continue to let our guard down as we have before, what happened before will happen again.
Which is why “Remember Pearl Harbor!” cannot be said too many times.
Comments
8 responses to “Remember Pearl Harbor!”
After my mother died, we found out she had a sailor boyfriend from her hometown who was killed at Pearl Harbor.
That is how I remember Pearl Harbor.
My father is a WWII vet, though he was not at Pearl Harbor – he was in the European arena…but he remembers, and I do, through his eyes.
My Gramps was there, 17 yrs old, think about that one. He was in a parade today,
I am Proud,
Bob
My dad served in the CBI theater.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Burma_India_Theater
There are some problems with the Wiki writeup, but at least it’s there.
Thanks for that link Eric. I just learned a lot I never knew about that area. Thank your Dad for me – it sounds like that was a really tough place.
[…] Lesson Posted on December 8, 2012 4:30 pm by Bill Quick Classical Values » Remember Pearl Harbor! Which is why “Remember Pearl Harbor!” cannot be said too many […]
Oh, and Bob, you’ve got reason to be proud of him (as do all of us with WWII vets in the family – living or no). What they did, quite literally, was to save the world.
For then only, perhaps, it’s true – but, as Thomas Jefferson said, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.”
(Note that last sentence – never saw that part until I Googled the phrase to be sure I got it right.) But I still think he was right. We forget. We’ve forgotten. And sometimes we need a real kick in the butt.
Thanks Kathy! I’d like to thank my dad, but he died in 1990 and would be 103 if he were alive. Perhaps he will see your comment floating around the ether.
My father, btw, became quite cozy with the Naga headhunters:
http://classicalvalues.com/2003/10/traditional_way/
http://classicalvalues.com/2007/03/anthopomissiona/