By Bill Quain
This column, which is being published on Dec. 7, 2023, is dedicated to the 2,403 American personnel who died during the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Eighty-two years ago, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the majority of Americans did not know where it was located. Hawaii did not become a state until August 1959. So on Dec. 7, 1941, when Americans turned their radios on that Sunday morning and heard the news about the attacks, the most common response to the news was “Where and what is Pearl Harbor?” However, within hours, almost everyone knew exactly where it was. When President Franklin Roosevelt declared war on Japan the next day, almost every American knew what they were going to do – support the American cause, no matter how long it took, and no matter what kind of sacrifice it would take. In his speech, President Roosevelt declared that Dec. 7, 1941, would be remembered as “A day that will live in infamy.” When Hitler declared war on the U.S. three days later, no one needed a speech. Americans just took up the burden and worked together.
What were the headlines that morning?
Imagine what it was like to find out that thousands of your countrymen had been killed by a country that had not declared war on us. Imagine just how confusing that day was and the many days after that, as America and her allies (including China and Russia) struggled through the first dark years of the war, with no end in sight, and no assurance of victory. Why were Americans fighting and dying? They were doing it for each other. They were doing it to preserve an American ideal that began with the Declaration of Independence in 1776. They were fighting and dying because they were confident that the fighting and dying were worth it.
On Dec. 7, 1941, no one knew…
On that fateful Sunday morning, no one could have known just how bad it would get. During the course of the war, over 400,000 American military personnel would die. China, Korea, the Philippines, and countless smaller islands were occupied by the Japanese for years. If it was not for the united effort of all Americans, the world would have been a very different place in 1946 – the year after the war ended.
Many thanks to those who served.
On this very important day, let’s remember those who served so bravely in that terrible war. They came back from battle and built a peace. Let’s honor them by honoring each other – as American citizens – and keep the liberty they so gallantly earned.
As always, I invite your comments. Send me an email at bill@quain.com. As I say each week, I’ll see ‘ya in the papers!
Bill is a Professor in Stockton University’s Hospitality Management Program. He is the author of 27 books, and a highly-respected speaker. Even though he is almost totally blind, Bill is a long-distance runner and runs the Ocean City Half Marathon each year. He lives in Ocean City with his wife Jeanne, and his Guide Dog Trudy. Visit www.billquain.com or email him at bill@quain.com.
