A Day That Should Live in Infamy – As a Reminder

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

On December 7th, 1941 at 7:55 AM Hawaii Standard time, the first wave of Japanese Imperial Navy bombers, torpedo bombers and fighters appeared over Pear Harbor. This was the beginning of a massive aerial attack from Japanese aircraft carriers on the US military and naval assets at Pearl Harbor. As a result of the attack 2335 service members and 68 civilians were killed and 1178 wounded. There were 328 aircraft damaged or destroyed, and 16 ships damaged and three destroyed, including two battleships. Shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack, there were also attacks on British Singapore and the American Philippines.

These surprise attacks in an undeclared act of war by a highly militaristic nation rightfully shocked and enraged the citizens of the United States of America. Because of these attacks the debate between the majority of Americans who were isolationist and those who felt America should intervene in the European war and the war in China abruptly ended. America was suddenly at war in the Atlantic ocean, the Pacific ocean, Africa and Europe. Hundreds of thousands of men enlisted in the US military and while women began to fill many supporting military roles, their main task became filling the many crucial manufacturing jobs that were left open by the men going to war.

As we observe Pearl Harbor Day this December 7th, 2023, it is not useful to open old wounds or whip-up some fervor over the events in Pearl Harbor. Indeed, America poured vast resources and expertise into post-war reconstruction for Japan, and now Japan is a major contributor to global economic prosperity and one of the USA’s most stable allies. Within a very few years after the end of WWII, even the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had recovered from the nuclear bombs which had devastated their landscape.

Instead, it seems good to honor those servicemen, servicewomen and civilians who gave all in this attack, and to recognize the sacrifice of the people who survived the events as well. Certainly, they were only the first Americans to be involved in the new all encompassing war, but the very surprise nature of the attacks seems to me to give them a unique place in the American historical record. My thanks go out (largely posthumously) to those courageous and heroic people.

It also seems useful to take a moment on this December 7th to be reminded of an important lesson. The American Republic and true democracy are constantly under threat. The lesson of Pearl Harbor and 9-11-2001 is that we must be continuously vigilant. Defense is a state of mind as well as a state of physical preparedness. J.R.R. Tolkien, in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ offers these counterpoints: “…the world is full enough of hurts and mischances without wars to multiply them.’ (says the Warden of the Houses of Healing) ‘It needs but one foe to breed a war, not two, Master Warden,’ answered Éowyn. ‘And those who have not swords can still die upon them. Would you have the folk of Gondor gather you herbs only, when the Dark Lord gathers armies?“ In other words, just because you are not interested in war does not mean that you will be spared. There is ample evidence of that today.

C.S. Lewis, in ‘Weight of Glory, Why I am Not a Pacifist” makes this observation (in context of ending war): “Only liberal societies tolerate Pacifists. In the liberal society, the number of Pacifists will either be large enough to cripple the state as a belligerent, or not. If not, you have done nothing. If it is large enough, then you have handed over the state which does tolerate Pacifists to its totalitarian neighbour who does not. Pacifism of this kind is taking the straight road to a world in which there will be no Pacifists.“ I’m not a big fan of war. It is easy to see the destruction, horror and human tragedy which is wrought by war. Nonetheless, we cannot afford to be isolationist or pacifist because the threat is always present. President Theodore Roosevelt’s solution was “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” Deterrence through strength will allow us to use diplomatic rhetoric to solve problems. Let’s keep America strong.

Take a minute today to reflect on the courage and heroism of the many hundreds of thousands of people who fought to keep the world from being over-run by dark powers so that we might have the chance to live in freedom and prosperity.