December 7, 1941. "A date which will live in infamy." So said President Franklin Delano Roosevelt when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor 68 years ago today.
2,403 people died in that raid. Of the 1,177 servicemen who died on board the USS Arizona when it was sunk in the attack, 948 remained intombed in the ship at the bottom of the harbor. In addition to those killed, a total of 1,178 people (including civilians) were wounded.
In doing some research for this post, I stumbled across this article. It has some interesting facts regarding WWII veterans and who actually attacked who first on that fateful day.
Sometimes I see a license plate stating the driver was at Pearl Harbor. I used to see them a lot more often. Not so much anymore. It won't be too long before every man and woman who served or can remember Pearl Harbor will be gone. It is up to us to keep their memory alive, to honor their service and to never forget - or undervalue - what they did and went through. If WWII had not been won by "the Allied forces," our world would look vastly different, I am sure. I'm pretty sure it would not be better.
If you have the privilege of living near a war museum, take some time. Walk through it with your children. Talk about our history. Remind them of the sacrifice so many have made so that they have the honor of living free.
2,403 people died in that raid. Of the 1,177 servicemen who died on board the USS Arizona when it was sunk in the attack, 948 remained intombed in the ship at the bottom of the harbor. In addition to those killed, a total of 1,178 people (including civilians) were wounded.
In doing some research for this post, I stumbled across this article. It has some interesting facts regarding WWII veterans and who actually attacked who first on that fateful day.
Sometimes I see a license plate stating the driver was at Pearl Harbor. I used to see them a lot more often. Not so much anymore. It won't be too long before every man and woman who served or can remember Pearl Harbor will be gone. It is up to us to keep their memory alive, to honor their service and to never forget - or undervalue - what they did and went through. If WWII had not been won by "the Allied forces," our world would look vastly different, I am sure. I'm pretty sure it would not be better.
If you have the privilege of living near a war museum, take some time. Walk through it with your children. Talk about our history. Remind them of the sacrifice so many have made so that they have the honor of living free.
1 comment:
Good advice. I was also thinking about Pearl Harbor today.
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