Wednesday, December 7, 2016

REMEMBERING PEARL 75 YEARS LATER

Editorial note: Though the "Day that shall live in Infamy" happened long before I was even a glint in my birth parents eye, or even before they were even grown up,  the event's of December 7, 1941 still brings me the feeling that thought I learned of this in history books in school in high school many years later, that moment in history brings me pause to remember those who died on that fateful day, even though it happened long before I was even born. From that event this country entered the second world war, to end age of those who seek absolute power of the world.  We still have those who seek that absolute power both on political and religious grounds, maybe we will learn from our past mistakes? Look like some still haven't learned the lesson of getting along with your neighbors, and not force your religious, or political views by gun point. Nevertheless, we take this opportunity to look back on that fateful day on December 7, 1941.

  Watch Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Day of Infamy Speech After Pearl Harbor Attacks
See the president’s famed address to Congress following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.---The Daily Beast

The White House: Statement by the President on the 75th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Quote: Seventy-five years ago today, a sudden and unprovoked attack turned a tranquil harbor into a sea of flames. Over 2,400 American patriots lost their lives in the attack on Pearl Harbor—military and civilian, men, women and children. Their sacrifice galvanized millions of GIs and Rosie the Riveters who answered the call to defend liberty at its moment of maximum peril. In the hours after the attack, President Roosevelt promised that “the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.” Thanks to the heroism of a generation, we did.
Today, Michelle and I join the American people in remembering those who gave their lives at Pearl Harbor—many of them not much older than boys—and in honoring their families—spouses, siblings, sons and daughters who still carry the memories of their loved ones in their hearts. We give thanks to the veterans and survivors of Pearl Harbor who faced down fear itself, met infamy with intrepidity, freed captive peoples from fascism and whose example inspires us still. For out of the horrors of war, this Greatest Generation forged an enduring international order, became the backbone of the middle class and powered America’s prosperity. Their courage and resolve remind us of that fundamental American truth—that out of many we are one; and that when we stand together, no undertaking is too great.

On this National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we also reaffirm that the work of securing and strengthening our nation goes on. While we can never repay the profound debt of gratitude we owe to those who served on our behalf, we can embrace our commitment to care for and support veterans of America’s wars from every generation.

As a testament that even the most bitter of adversaries can become the closest of allies, I look forward to visiting the USS Arizona Memorial later this month along with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. This historic visit will stand as a tribute to the power of reconciliation and to the truth that the United States and Japan—bound by an alliance unimaginable 75 years ago—will continue to work hand-in-hand for a more peaceful and secure world.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/12/07/statement-president-75th-anniversary-attack-pearl-harbor

Related stories: 
75 years ago, the AP reported on Pearl Harbor (AP)
HONOLULU (AP) — EDITOR'S NOTE — On Dec. 7, 1941, as Japanese bombs rained down on Pearl Harbor, The Associated Press' chief of bureau in Honolulu, Eugene Burns, was unable to get out the urgent news of the historic attack that would draw the U.S. into World War II. The military had already taken control of all communication lines, so Burns was left without a line to the outside world. In Washington, AP editor William Peacock and staff got word of the attack from President Franklin D. Roosevelt's press secretary. In the language and style used by journalists of his era, including the use of a disparaging word to describe the Japanese that was in common use, Peacock dictated the details of the announcement. Seventy-five years after their original publication, the AP is re-publishing these dispatches.

LA TIMES: The remains of this Pearl Harbor sailor, and many others, are finally coming home
KEENE, N.H. — Edwin Chester Hopkins' casket was draped with an American flag that had hung above the state Capitol. Boy Scouts saluted as the motorcade weaved around the colonial town square to the cemetery, where a military bugler readied to play taps in the dappled sunlight of a cool autumn day.

WSJ: Pearl Harbor Survivor Prepares for Last Big Reunion
During the Dec. 7, 1941, attack by the Japanese, Mr. Girocco was one of about 60,000 military personnel stationed on Oahu. The attack claimed the lives of 2,403 Americans, most on ships that were bombed at the Pearl Harbor naval base.


DEPT OF DEFENSE: Pearl Harbor Wasn’t the Only Installation Attacked on Dec. 7
When we think of the Japanese attack that launched America into World War II, we immediately think of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. While a majority of the devastation happened there the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, other military installations on the island of Oahu were attacked, too.


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