On this morning in 1941, one nation spent men and matériel to destroy the same of another nation.
In your neighborhood, it’s called murder and mayhem. When nations do it, it’s called war. On a quiet tropical morning in Hawaii at 0755 hours, the sounds of Japanese airplanes broke the calm. When the day was over, devastation lay all around Pearl Harbor; twisted metal hulks and the bodies of the dead. Fires burned on. The smells of the diesel fuel and oil and smoke were choking. The black billowing clouds blocked out the sunlight. Horror had come to paradise.
Sadly, it’s not as remarked upon as the years go by, but I still remember. I wasn’t alive at the time this even occurred, but my father, mother, uncles, aunts, etc. were. My father was a U.S. Navy veteran of WWII. I sat on his lap and listened to the stories of that time. It taught me a respect for the freedoms and liberties that we enjoy in my country. It taught me a great respect for the men and women who give of themselves to secure and protect those freedoms and liberties… the U.S. Servicemen/women.
While you’re sitting around texting on your cell or tweeting about this or that today, take a moment to remember. Remember that people actually died. They gave up everything. They sacrificed the most important thing they had… to secure your freedoms, your liberties, your life. Remember them. Honor them. Never forget them.
Later…
~Eric
Image credit: rivervet.com – Pearl Harbor
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