Pearl

Pearl Harbor Day 2011

12/7/11

History has provided us with many examples of wars in which portions of the world have been at odds with one another.  Examples of people killing others to provide some type of gain even appear as far back as in the Bible times.  Seventy years ago today an event took place that changed the way we as Americans lived.  The empire of Japan secretly attacked the U S Fleet at Pearl Harbor.  This act propelled our nation into a bloody conflict that would have long lasting effects on the people of this nation.  This concept of sneak attack is not new to past societies nor should it be forgotten in today’s society as well.

 

On a sleepy Sunday morning in December 1941 an attack came upon the US Fleet in Hawaii while the dawn was breaking across the region.  No one ever suspected that a so coordinated and massive attack could be launched and executed on our country shores as the one that occurred on this date.  No matter what you think about the attack, it was planned and carried out to perfection so much so that the entire attack plan was not even completed.  The commanders of the Japanese Navy understood that the element of surprise was over and that another attack could prove just as costly to them as the first attack was for us.  It has been recorded that one of the high Japanese Navy officials stated that he believed that all they did was to awaken a sleeping giant.

 

This attack launched a series of events in this country that changed the entire focus of the country.  Not only did this act provide a sound way to end the lingering effects of the depression but it brought us together as a nation to fight together, as one, towards the defeat of a common enemy.  We realized that we had been sucker punched by an enemy who knew our current conditions and had taken advantage of the situation, one that had been watching us closely to gain that extra needed bit of information so that the attack would be successful.

 

We placed aside our differences with each other and began to pick ourselves up off the ground as it were.  We shook ourselves free from the muck and the mire that had just been placed upon us and vowed to do everything possible to have revenge on the people that embarrassed us on that day and to defeat the beliefs that began the tyranny of the ongoing war.  Yes there were some that did not agree with the war and the position that our government took, but they had enough respect for their country to contribute in some way to the war effort and to help win against this aggression.

 

For the men that lost their lives at Pearl Harbor that day I hold no one else in higher regard than you.  You never had a chance to fight fairly amongst your fellow comrades in arms.  Your positions were taken from you even before you had an opportunity to defend yourselves and your ships and planes.

 

For those soldiers and sailors who survived that day, I continually salute you for a job well done.  Even though you were brutally attacked without any warning the fight you gave after the attack began was amazing.  Many stories have come out over the past few decades of the bravery that each of you displayed during that ordeal.  It must have been so disheartening to not understand how to effectively fight back that day.  But somehow each of you found enough courage to stay alive and live to fight another day.

 

To the ones who lost their lives on this day seventy years ago, I thank you for making the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our way of life.  I thank you for serving your country proudly and heeding the call to defend her so valiantly.  I also thank the families of those who lost loved ones that day, thank you for allowing them to serve in this great country of ours. 

 

I know that some of the survivors of Pearl Harbor 1941 lost their lives in coming battles of the war.  I hope that you know that each one of you did not die in vain and that your actions provided strength to others in this country that has not been demonstrated since.  For most of us it is difficult to understand how soldiers and sailors survive some battles and then lose their lives in other battles.  That is war and the consequences of them.  None of us like war and none of us want wars to be fought, especially for this reason.  But we all must realize that sometimes war is a necessary step in order to make the world a safer place to live.  This does not mean that every war is just, but when serious threats in our world occur, it is our responsibility, as humans and not countries, to provide all means of security to each other.

 

To the survivors of Pearl Harbor 1941, thank you for everything that you did on that day and also for the courage you had in the coming battles of that war.  This day was only the beginning of a series of events that would shape your lives for many years to come.  The dedication you showed to your country defined the ways that this country built itself upon from that time on to the present day.  There are no words that can be adequately expressed to you for the things that you accomplished on that day.  Even though I was not born of your generation, not even close, the knowledge of your actions fuel my ambitions today and it is my foundation to defend this country in times of need.

 

In recent times we have seen men glorify their warlike efforts in the news or have experienced these acts firsthand.  No rational mind wants war or the effects of war but we must be made aware that there are people out there who do consider war as the only option in life to spread their means of thinking.  These are the ones that need to be stopped before they are allowed to gain access to the necessities of warlike actions.

 

As all of the memorial services conclude today and we continue on with our lives, let us never forget the sacrifices these men made on this day.  Let us always keep in the forefront of our minds that they never gave up when the attacks came, they continued to fight until the job was done.  Not for their own personal gain or glory but to rid what was wrong in the world so that everyone would know peace.  World War I was labeled the war to end all wars, but in reality it was the birthing place of a new era in total warfare.  Let us pray that this new era of wars waits for a long time to re-surface again.  Once again, thank you Pearl Harbor Veterans and to all of the World War II Veterans for everything you did for us….You shall not be forgotten in my family.