Decemher 7, 1941: The Attack On Pearl Harbor; Seventy-Eight Years Ago Today...

For quite some time, the U.S. remained "neutral" as the Second World War was raging in Europe, as well as in Asia.  But there were those that actually wanted America to enter the war for various reasons, chief among them was to prevent Britain from falling under the Nazi blitzkrieg, and granting Hitler a major foothold in Europe.  But was that a legitimate concern?   Some say yes; some say no...

Up until that time, the U.S. had been shipping tons of military equipment to the Brits under the Lend- Lease Act.  But to some that was not enough...

In addition, the Japanese were systematically overtaking many nations in Asia, even China was invaded for their resources, as well as for their thirst for conquest.

The Japanese needed raw materials for their war machine, (their version of the military-industrial-complex) and one of the main materials they desperately needed was oil.

The war-hawks in the U.S. did everything they could to get us into war with Hitler and the Japanese Empire; they finally succeeded.

Still, it could be argued that our involvement in World War II was not necessary.  I'll let others figure that one out, although it's a little late, and at this point, would it matter?   Keeping in mind, that it is estimated that somewhere between 50- to 80-million people died, including those in uniform.  Let me write out that number to show a little better the horror of that war: 50,000,000 to 80,000,000 human beings lost their lives, not to mention those displaced from homes that no longer existed, or were so severely damaged as to render them uninhabitable...

What happened at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was the final nail in the coffin for staving-off our involvement in that horrendous conflagration.  The "sneak-attack" was made more despicable because it came on a Sunday morning, when most of the military were on "holiday routine," and folks were on their way to church services, dressed in their Sunday best...

Nearly 3,000 military and civilian deaths and numerous hundreds wounded, not to mention many famous battleships and other support vessels, sunk where they were moored.

Immediately, President Roosevelt made the heartfelt and famous speech before a combined House of Representatives as well as the Senate.  His words: "... (Dec. 7, 1941) a date which will live in infamy..." And thus, quickly came the declaration of war against the Empire of Japan...

Admiral Yamamoto, of the Japanese navy, expressed what was to be his very accurate fear.  He said of the attack on Pearl Harbor: I'm afraid that all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant, and fill him with a terrible resolve...

After five years of war on the European continent, and four years of our involvement, the war came to an end on May 8, 1945 in Europe; the Japanese surrendered on August 15, 1945, after the atomic bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

I just wanted to make sure that this day would not be forgotten, at least to those that read my articles...  I do wonder, though, if these terrible events in our history are actually still taught in the schools today??  If not, then surely history could very well repeat itself...

Pray for an end to all wars, and pray too, for our country...

Gene DeLalla