-December 7th 1941-

[VentureScoutNY 10]

"Decenmber 7th, 1941, a date that will live in infamy..."

 

Sixty three years ago today, the Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor. This suprise attack left more than 2,300 Americans dead, and 5 ships that sank. It damaged many other ships and destroyed more than 180 airfcraft.

 

Most people have learned the history of this attack and the war after, but it seems that my generation is beginning to forget about what happened. Many world war two veterans pass away each day, and every day we lose more Hero's.

 

Take a minute out of your day to remember those who were killed at Pearl Harbor, and those who served their country. Do not forget them, fly the flag proudly, and honor our Veterans.

 

[cubbingcarol 10]

You are absolutely right. When I asked some co-workers what today was they answered, Tuesday. How sad. I am relatively young (31) but my mother who was about 5 at the time tells me stories of her experiences from that time which so vividly bring them to life for me that I almost feel a connection to that time. I had 4 great uncles who fought in that war (my grandfather was deferred due to a back problem but worked for the railroad 16 hours a day). And being a nurse at a nursing home I am reminded how many we are losing. Thank you for reminding all of us on the forum, too bad we have to remind anyone.

 

Carol

[KoreaScouter 13]

I work in a building still pockmarked from shells that hit it on 12-7-41, and can look to my left and see the USS Arizona Memorial every day on my way home. So, we get daily reminders here. But, there are reminders everywhere you are, too. You don't have to travel far from anywhere to get to a war memorial, a VA hospital, or a veterans' cemetery. Remembering these anniversaries is important, but not just for their own sake. We need to do it with an eye toward our future, too.

 

KS

[dsteele 20]

God was with us on that day. God was with us on 9/11.

 

May He hold all of the fallen in His warm hands.

 

Unc.

[Fuzzy Bear 12]

I have a pile of books about WW2 that I read periodically to try and find answers about the war. I have taken allot of notes to try and make sense of it. The main question has been about the person responsible. I believe that he was full of himself and crazy but smart and insightful.

 

He truly underestimated his enemy.

 

I would love to write about the victors and their actions as if I could express it in a picture. There were people in it bigger than life itself that surfaced with answers to problems during the worst of times. It was horrible, yet there was a triumph over evil that should be heard from now on.

 

If we forget, we deserve our fate. Take time to remember. Take time to read. I promise you will not be sorry for giving a tribute of time to know more about it.

 

FB

[cliffgolden 10]

 

My dad was playing basketball with friends at his high school gym on that Sunday.

 

He quit high school when he turned 17 so he could join the Navy. He was in 4 years, then later called back for Korea.

 

This past summer our troop visited Hawaii. Our first program activity was to visit the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. It's a visit the boys will always remember.

 

The boys have seen the movies, the recent film with Ben Affleck, and the older one, Tora! Tora! Tora!

 

December 7, 1941 was a defining moment in our history that ultimately changed the world. It's a painful part of our history that must not be forgotten.

 

YIS,

Cliff Golden

Scoutmaster Troop 33

DeKalb, Illinois

[BSAT17SPL 10]

I am very upset over today's generation, I was at my weekly scout meeting and during it I randomly walked to a scout and asked them what the date was and then asked them what happened to day. The bad part was that 4 out of 9 scouts knew what the significants of the day was. I attribute this to the lack of advertisement or learning in school. Now I'm a Junior in High school and Not once did I hear anything mentioned about the day.

[packsaddle 753]

I agree but to me the significance is that at least some of them knew. I nearly fell over when George H.W. Bush said in a speech back on 7 Sep 1988, "Today, you remember -- I wonder how many Americans remember -- today is Pearl Harbor Day. Forty-seven years ago to this very day we were hit and hit hard at Pearl Harbor." Yep, that was on 7 SEPTEMBER 1988. He was speaking, no less, to a veterans group and I suspect that NONE of them remembered it the way HE remembered it. Of course he realized his three-month error and later corrected his gaff. But if that WWII veteran gets confused, just imagine the video game generation! Wow, and he was head of the Central Intelligence Agency before that...