"Today December 7th, 1941 a date which will live in infamy. The United States Pacific Fleet was brutally and deliberately struck by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. . ." With these famous words the United States plunged itself into the darkness which will always be remembered as World War II, but we must remember that only a few years before this historic day our friends in Europe where assailed by Hitler and his Lightning War. The United States itself had already engaged Japanese forces in the Philippians and in Burma before the attack at Pearl Harbor. Today we remember those who died and fought for their lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor, but let us remember those who served throughout the duration of the war that engulfed the world. From El Alamein in North Africa to Anzio in Italy to the beaches of Normandy France and the war torn streets of Stalingrad in the realm of Russia, all the way to the Pacific at islands such as Midway, Wake, and numerous others. Men from different countries of different religions and beliefs fought alongside one another to defeat a common foe. From the lads of the Montgomery's Desert Rats in North Africa serving alongside Patton's Third Army and the French Foreign Legion, to the skies above France and Germany where the U.S. Army Air Corps and the RAF fought their counterparts in the German Luftwaffe in deadly tangos. On the ground American, British, French, Russian, Irish, Canadian, and many others fought to free Europe from Hitlers grasp. All the way to the Pacific where Australian, British, Chinese, Philippians, American, Burmese, and even a little squadron called the 201st from Mexico pushed the Japanese back from wince they came. Praise to the Aztec Eagles, who showed the world that Mexico would not sit ideally by and let down her neighbors to the North. This little squadron of 31 men flew sorties along side American forces in the Philippians, of the 31 that went five would never again return home to see their families or their beloved country which they represented. Special Praise should be given to those in Germany who saw their leader for the tyrant that he was and in their own right tried to stop him. Though they failed they showed that there where those in Germany that wished to be free themselves. Praise to the men of the B-29 Super Fortress Enola Gay you had the worst mission of all, the dropping of the worlds first atomic bombs in anger against another nation. Had you not dropped those bombs more than twice the number of men would have died assaulting the Japanese homeland than those that died at Normandy. You saw the horror of the future of warfare, may you never again see that devastation. Again special praise to the women of the medical corps of all nations, you saw the horrors of the aftermath of war and tended to those you thought could be saved. You women also helped in the war effort by serving as spies or as workers in the factories back at home while the men where away fighting. You showed the world that in times of need even the women of nations could be counted on to serve in different tasks. To those who have gone to war and returned, I thank you for your service. I cannot even fathom the horrors and deeds that you have seen and hopefully I never will. You have lost more then just comrades and friends in those battles you have lost your brothers and second family. To those who payed the ultimate price, I salute you for you went above and beyond the call of duty. You saw to the liberation of different nations and the defeat of tyrants, may your names forever shine out in the history books. May you never be forgotten by anyone today or in the future, rest now and watch over those that you fought besides and your families. Today we pay tribute to not only those that died at Pearl Harbor, but to those that died throughout the entire war. They did not fight for their countries or their flags, they fought to ensure the survival of nations and most importantly they fought for the man standing next to him.
My great grandfather fought in WW2, he was a barber/engineer (didn't even know you could have two army jobs). He lived on an aircraft carrier for a little while, until the Japanese decided to start their bombing. My great grandfather made it out with his life, even though most of his friends died that day. I will always remember my Great grandfather. R.I.P.
Let us also remember the atrocities of the US government itself with the subsequent removal of human rights that was the Japanese Internment camps. Let us also remember the far greater atrocities that occurred at around the same time in Nanking, China, where millions of women of all ages were raped and massacred, beheaded and burned, and in some cases blown to bits, by the Japanese Imperial Army. Or remember those that were forced into the service of the Nazi Army (such as my great grandfather) even though they really did not like war and wound up freezing to death in Russia. And let us not fool ourselves by saying that America is entirely guiltless. That's what I hate about this day. It's great to remember those that died. But. We view America as the heroes, as perfect, as innocent. We're not. We did a lot in the World War that wasn't exactly that great either, including violations of far too many civil rights. We also in addition undervalue the brave efforts of the United Kingdom and their own Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and the great struggles of the French Resistance, the Jewish resistance, and so on. No one is guiltless. All sides were guilty. America was just at fault, committed just as many atrocities as Japan. Funny how we don't remember those. War has no winners. Only losers. There is no victory. So don't celebrate it.
People consider 'Murca to be innocent throughout everything. When, in reality, we're the cause of most of the world's non-natural problems...
Personally, I think Americans ought to get over American guilt. It shows they think too much in terms of "Americans" and not enough in terms of people. In fact, the children of people who happened to be under a government that happened to be the biggest evil government in a world of evil governments are not themselves evil. But that's neither here nor there. The point is a lot of people have been going through a lot for a long time and we take times like this to offer some reverence to human suffering, regardless of who should be blamed for what.
This Just this. I honor those who were willing to give their lives, whether it was under a corrupt government or not. I am too weak to find myself in battle, and I am Quaker so I am a pacifist. I have a friend in the Marines over in Japan right now. I respect him for his choice.
My Great Grandfather served in WWII. He was a blimp pilot with the job of spotting enemy U-Boats and other submersible craft. Blimps were extremely easy targets, and he watched many of his fellow comrades get shot down by enemy planes. They would crash into the ocean, often surviving, and would now be stranded in the ocean with no chance of rescue... I will not go into details, but they would not get far. The commotion would attract sharks, and the planes would often turn back around to finish the job... Words cannot describe the fear, and how he must have felt... My great grandfather was a very soft-spoken man and never showed his feelings. But he was brave, and survived through the war. He lived until he was 80, and died peacefully of natural causes.
That would be Viola Cadav-whatchamacallit. I'm any case, let's not argue. This it's a thread of supposed peace and remembrance.
The day, for most, is long over, and the seeds of distraction have already been set. You said it, not me.
I have deleted some posts here. While I have no problem with you all having and sharing opinions, I would like this thread to remain on topic and respectful to the OP's intention. ~Foxytail On topic, though I am not american, I cannot deny that this event is one that deserves a moments silence in memory of those who lost their lives in both this event and those that followed, no matter which 'side' they were on. I pray that the future learns from the past so that this may not happen again. ~Moment of Silence~
While the day may be over, the shadow of that event will linger upon many people's hearts through generations to come. ~MoS~
