Remember Pearl Harbor

65th Anniversary

Sixty-Five years ago today, the United States' entry into war started on a sleepy Honolulu Sunday morning. While most of our naval forces stationed there were sound asleep in their bunks, the island was attacked by an unprovoked aerial assualt by the Japanese. The rest is history. President Roosevelt referred to the attack as "dastardly" and described this seminal moment as a "Day of Infamy." He, like millions of others, did not live long enough to see V-E Day, or V-J Day.

Simply because a person was not alive to have experienced firsthand the horror in tragedy that occurred on this day 65 years ago does not mean that we should not pause, reflect and honor on the sacrifices that were made on that day or in the years that followed.
The overwhelming majority of Americans who were alive on that Sunday are no longer with us to relate their thoughts and feelings. Lest we forget, it is the sacrifices made by that generation that has enabled all of us to live in a free America. We should also never forget that in the years and months from December of 1941 until August of 1945, the United States suffered casualties in excess 250,000 men and women killed in action and several times that number wounded.
We rightly grieve the news of any death in military conflict that is occurring, in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Each life is precious and unique. And while our involvement in Iraq has now lasted longer than our involvement in World War II, multiply the casualties by a hundred and that will give you some sense of the sacrifice that was made. So while we pay special tribute to the sacrifices made and the lives lost on December 7, 1941, let’s all take this opportunity to remember all of our veterans living and dead, and thank them in a very special way for the sacrifices they made to keep this country safe.

God Bless America.