Back when I was in High School, I bought the speech that Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It begins “Yesterday, Dec. 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. ” Actually, it always gave me chills. I have seen my share of WWII movies, and read some books on the subject, but I suspect I really never could have even imagined what the people in America were going through at that time. Then came September 11th, 2001. It was a devastating day for all of America. I suspect that is what Pearl Harbor felt like. I know that because of live Television, we as a nation, were able to see first hand just what happened. Not that we wanted to, but who could look away? So, today I reflect on the 69th anniversary of one of the two biggest days that will live in infamy. There are countless books and movies about Pearl Harbor, and actually even more about the aftermath. I do remember that the facts of our response to Pearl Harbor is not what I would have wished. I read Farewell to Manzanar when I was in High School and I will never forget it. It is so important that we have access to all points of view. It is deeply saddening that the internment camps were a real and true thing. Hopefully we as a nation can learn from our mistakes of the past. I do recommend reading Farewell to Manzanar and The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw. Just a couple suggestions. We have dozens if not hundreds of books on the subject.
Posted by Estel.